Reaching Absolute Zero
by Vampiric Dragonrider
Summary: Kaiba discovers he's a mutant. A little while later, Mokuba is also discovered to be a mutant. But what these brothers never expected was to be on opposite sides of a war. Story better than summary implies, I swear!
1. Routine

Today was like any other day of any other month. A normal day for Seto Kaiba, anyway. Wake up, go to school, tease the mutt, go to work, and, of course, save Mokuba from a kidnapping. But this kidnapping was different from any other.

Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start at dawn, the beginning of our dear friend Kaiba's day. It will be only the start of his weeks of turmoil…

* * *

Kaiba woke up at dawn, as usual. Combine that with last night's late hours, he got about five hours of sleep. That was good. That was more than he usually slept.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed, stood up, and stretched. He usually didn't remember his dreams, but the one last night had been… weird. It was so very confusing. All spinning swirls and flickering images… he couldn't make sense of it.

He quickly got moving to stimulate his brain and wake up more. He threw on his school uniform and brushed his tidy brown hair. Before he left his room, he glanced in the mirror above his bureau. His sharp blue eyes glared back at him. And… dear god… was he that pale? He hadn't seen the sun much this past week or so, substituting it with computer screens. Mokuba wouldn't be happy about that.

Speaking of his little brother, the little devil was probably sleeping. Kaiba figured he should wake him up, seeing as it took a hideously long time for the boy to _get_ up. The tall brunet exited his room, strode down the hall, and open Mokuba's door. He reached in and turned on the light, much to the black-haired kid's dismay. Mokuba groaned at his brother.

"Ugh, Seto, do you have to get me up this early?"

"Yes, I do," Kaiba replied. His tone was not cold, as it usually is. It never was when he talked to his one family member. "If you got up fast enough, I might let you sleep in. But…"

"Yeah, yeah," Mokuba moaned, sitting up and throwing a pillow at Kaiba. It missed. "I get it, I get it. I'm up…"

Kaiba smiled, but to the outside eye, it looked like a smirk. Only Mokuba knew the difference, and that was all that mattered. He backed out of the room, closing the door, before going down the stairs into the kitchen.

He poured himself some coffee and stood staring out the window over the sink, leaning casually against the countertop. He watched the sun stain the sky a mixture of pink and pale orange. Slowly, the sun rose, changing the atmosphere to blue.

The digital clock on the microwave switched to 7:20 PM. As if on cue, Mokuba raced into the kitchen, backpack slung over one shoulder, to grab a granola bar. And then he rushed outside before realizing his brother hadn't followed him.

"C'mon, Seto!" Mokuba called. Kaiba rolled his eyes, but he smiled, too. You'd think that after years of doing this, Mokuba would have learned. But he did it almost every morning. Nevertheless, Kaiba dutifully followed his little brother to the waiting limousine. His chauffeur drove first to the middle school to drop off Mokuba before heading to Domino High.

As he walked from the automobile, down the sidewalk to the school's front door, a chill washed over him. He immediately stiffened and swept his icy gaze around. He swore his heart stopped when he saw a man in a dark gray fedora and overcoat standing on the other side of the gate. He couldn't really see the man's face, and his hands were in his pockets. Kaiba was immediately suspicious of this man. But school was about to start, so he couldn't do anything about it. The young CEO was forced to face forward once more and head inside the building.

Kaiba took a seat next to a window, so that he could look out of it. The man was gone. He raised an eyebrow at the glass before turning to face the blackboard. It wasn't until the passing period after his first class did he notice Jounouchi Katsuya was absent today. Yugi and his friends were missing their dumb blond.

"Where's the mutt?" he asked crudely in the moments where the classroom was teacherless.

"_Jounouchi_ is sick today," Yugi replied patiently, stressing his friend's name. Anzu and Honda glared at the brunet, but the short kid never glared at anybody. Unless, of course, they were trying to destroy the world. His gaudy pyramid necklace still dangled from its chain around his neck. When would he get rid of that damn thing? "He has a really bad cold."

"That's too bad," Kaiba sneered.

"Maybe it's good," Anzu retorted snidely. "He won't have to listen to you."

"He won't have to listen to you either. Maybe he faked it to get away from you."

Anzu gave him a long, azure glare, but she couldn't say anything because the second period teacher had just walked in.

"Now class," the teacher said, "today we start the Shakespeare unit in English. We will start by reading Twelfth Night." He passed out a bunch of tattered, thin green books. "Now, with an overview…" and he turned to the blackboard, chalk in hand, and wrote down the character's names.

Kaiba's attention once more was focused on outside. He had already read Twelfth Night. In fact, he's read most of Shakespeare. This was going to be easy.

Nothing was outside the window. Except for one big, fat, black crow in a big, bare, black tree, stripped clean of its leaves with the late fall wind. What was that old wives tale about crows… Kaiba racked his brain. He had looked at a small poem once. How did it go…

Ah yes.

_One crow means sorrow,  
Two crows mean joy.  
Three crows mean a letter,  
Four crows, a boy.  
Five crows mean silver,  
Six crows mean gold.  
Seven crows mean a secret,  
That's never been told._

He wondered idly what sorrow would befall this crow's vicinity. Of course, he didn't really believe the saying. But like most old wives' tales, this poem had roots in truth. He had no way of knowing what he would experience today.

* * *

Kaiba walked to the middle school to pick up his brother. It was chilly outside, though that was to be expected, seeing as winter was almost upon them. But he didn't want to trust the limousine to pick up Mokuba, because if he did, he would go straight to work and not see him. And besides that, he wanted to. So he walked.

There was a throbbing behind his eyes. It was the beginning of a migraine, he could tell. It had started as a dull ache at the base of his skull sometime during lunch. It was growing exponentially. He couldn't wait to pop some ibuprofen when he got the chance.

It was hard to see Mokuba amongst the throng of little kids. So he waited for Mokuba to find him. When his little brother discovered him at the front gate, he was immediately glomped. Once he had detached himself from the boy's arms, they started off towards home. Mokuba swung blissfully on Kaiba's arm as he told his big brother about his day.

"We had an assembly today, Seto."

"Did you? What was it about."

"Safety and stuff. Same old, same old. They were all, 'wash your hands or you'll get sick!' and stuff, 'cause it's cold and flu season, you know?"

The conversation continued much like this. Mokuba did most of the talking, whilst Kaiba responded with the appropriate words to keep the boy chattering happily. Meanwhile, Kaiba's headache just got worse. It was edging on a blinding pain. He tried to ignore it, attempting to cover any hints of pain from his brother.

When they rounded a corner, multiple things happened at once. Kaiba couldn't stand his headache anymore. He brought both hands up and pressed the base of his palms against his temples. Mokuba looked up at him and asked in a worried voice, "Seto?" A car screeched as it rounded the same corner, headed in the opposite direction. A dog started barking hysterically. And a thug jumped them.

The thug's true intentions are never known. It is unclear whether he wanted to get their money, be a distraction for a bigger plan, kidnap Mokuba, or something else. He is a stereotypical thug, with a bulky stature and a bald head with a gruff, short beard. A tattoo snaked down his left arm from under his short sleeved shirt. Nothing is known of the tattoo, save it was pure black. He had dark, darting eyes and, of course, a nice shiny pistol.

Kaiba was not in the mood for this common hooligan. As civilians around them backed off, scared and dialing the police, the CEO took action. He would not let this petty (read: ugly) person touch him or his little brother. He pushed Mokuba to safety behind him before swinging a leg around to kick the gun out of the thug's hand. The man roared in anger and stormed at him. Kaiba pushed off the ground and brought a hand back. He slammed his palm into the ruffian's face, swiftly overpowering him and shoving him to the sidewalk.

It's around this time that a funny thing happened. Kaiba could literally feel his headache drain away as his hand covered the man's eyes. It slipped from his head, down his arm, and out his palm. He pulled away and stood up, clapping his hands together as if to get chalk or dust off of it. A police cruiser pulled up, lights flashing and siren wailing.

Here's the funny thing. Just as the two cops got out of their car and approached the man, he opened his eyes and screamed. It was as high and as loud as he could muster. You know. Like, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" That kind of scream.

Everyone slowly backed away, if they already hadn't. Words started slipping past the thug's lips. "ARG! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! GET– GET AWAY!! GET THEM AWAY!!!!!!!!!!! THERE'S… THERE'S MONSTERS EVERYWHERE! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! IT'S SO DARK! GET ME OUT!!!!!!!! THEY'RE GONNA EAT MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kaiba froze, his blood chilling and slowing to a crawl. His blue eyes widened in horror as Mokuba clung onto his arm. Pedestrians watched in shock. This man, he was… hallucinating? Kaiba thought it sounded like he was in the Shadow Realm. Even if he didn't believe that magic stuff. One of the cops nervously nudged the man with a foot. But the thug's eyes proved that he was gone. The pupils were dilated.

The cops got brave again and hoisted the thug up by the arms and brought him to the cruiser. Before they left, one of them said to Kaiba, "You go home now, sir."

Kaiba complied. Perhaps eagerly, but if so, he hid that emotion. He started his pace up quickly, and he and Mokuba walked back home in silence.

The newspaper tomorrow said that the thug died during the night. His heart had simply stopped. He had quite literally, died of fright.

This was only the beginning of the story for our dear friend Kaiba. Let us hope he fares better than that thug.

* * *

**I'd like to give thanks to Windona. Without her, this story would be no good.**

**I know, it's starting off a little slow. But I'm stretching it for all it's worth. It shouldn't be bad. But tell me what you think. Please review! Cheers.  
**


	2. School

Seto Kaiba's story has been set in motion. Though the time since the beginning was short, this story is far too along for him to do anything to reverse it. The first light of the tale has melted the snows. There is nothing to do but to go along with the current of the resulting river, or else drown.

This… is destiny.

* * *

It was the morning after the thug incident. An incident, Kaiba called it. An isolated incident that meant nothing. Of course, he had no idea that this incident sent off a tidal wave of others.

He sat at the kitchen table, this time, with his cup of coffee. The table was stylish, sleek, and black, with four matching chairs. He shook the newspaper he was reading before taking a sip of the dark, scalding liquid. He had an admitted caffeine addiction, but who didn't? At least he didn't put sugar or cream in it. Nothing less healthy than the actual coffee.

He skimmed the articles. Nothing really caught his eye. That is, until he skimmed the police report section. There was a short description of a thug who died overnight of fright. He hadn't stopped screaming about monsters and darkness until his heart had given out. Kaiba's eyes widened as he read the passage. And then he reread it, again and again. There was no doubt. It was the same guy that had jumped him. But what had caused the man's hallucinations? Was it… because of him? If so, (which it probably was) then how did that happen?

Kaiba drained the last of his coffee just as Mokuba raced down the stairs. The morning ritual was underway as the little boy once again ran outside the door without waiting for him. He smiled and followed Mokuba, trying to forget about the thug.

* * *

Jean Grey and Scott Summers flanked Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, as the paraplegic wheeled down to Cerebro. They watched as he put on the helmet, and the giant screen lit up before them.

"What is it, professor?" Jean asked. A red dot blinked on a bird's eye view map of a large house.

"Cerebro has detected a new mutant," Xavier told them. "A late bloomer, if you will."

"Great," Scott said. "Who is he?"

Xavier didn't answer right away. The screen changed to show a blank model of a human body, a patch of letters, and another blank model, this time of just the head. As it slowly filled, the professor spoke. "His name is Seto Kaiba."

"Hmm," Jean mused. "I think I've heard that name before. Haven't I?"

"Sounds Japanese," Scott observed.

"It _is_ Japanese," Xavier said. "He is the seventeen-year-old CEO and owner of a gaming company entitled Kaiba Corporation. He is not very well known outside Japan and large cities, I'm afraid, but where he is known, his base fan club is huge. He is a fan of a card game called Duel Monsters, and up until about a year ago, he boasted the title 'King of Games.'" The new mutant's face now filled the screen.

Jean gasped. "Now I recognize him! _He's_ a mutant? Forgive me if I sound rude, but he has the biggest ego alive, and he flat out refuses the existence of magic. He probably won't even believe the existence of mutants and their powers. How can he be a mutant?"

"It can be anyone, Jean," the telepath reminded her.

"I know…"

"Let me guess," Scott said. "You want us to recruit him."

"Yes," Xavier said. "We must get to him before Magneto."

"Why? What's his power?"

"I'm not sure, it's not very clear. But it would spell trouble for us if he joined the wrong side."

* * *

The first thing Kaiba noticed as he exited the limousine to enter the high school was the man on the other side of the fence. A different coat and a different hat were quick attempts at a disguise, but he recognized the stature and aura. It was the same guy as yesterday. Trying to act typical, the man was walking this time, instead of just standing. As Kaiba entered the building, the man strode down the sidewalk, looking up to glance at the school as if he was just observing his surroundings and the beauty of architecture. Not that the school was much to look at, but still.

Kaiba tried to ignore this person. Who said the man was following _him_? Not all things centered around him, after all. By the time he was in the classroom, the stranger was once again gone.

Kaiba noticed Jounouchi Katsuya was once again absent today. Good. He didn't feel like dealing with the mutt. When his study period rolled around, he took out his Duel Monsters deck. He felt like dueling. He hadn't in a while…

"Yugi," he said. "Do you want to duel?"

While it is true that Kaiba held contempt for most humans, he did respect Yugi. He'd have to. After all, Yugi was the only person alive who could beat him. More than once, that is. Ever since the recent end of Battle City, his obsession with beating Yugi had lessened somewhat. He still ached to defeat his rival, but this time he wasn't driven to extremes. Luckily for him, Yugi agreed to duel him. Or maybe it was unluckily, given what happened.

It started off innocent enough. Without the holograms, the two of them didn't get all dramatic like they usually did. They bantered back and forth, taking bites out of each other's life points. Neither of them actually summoned any really powerful monsters. That is, until Kaiba drew his Blue Eyes White Dragon.

He smirked down at his favorite card. "Ready, Yugi?" he said. "Prepare to be defeated!"

"You say that every time," Yugi said, smiling back. "And it never comes true."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Must be habit. I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

There was by now a crowd around them. The teacher had left to get coffee from the teacher's lounge. Kaiba picked up his Level 4 effect monster and discarded it. He shifted his Blue Eyes card from his left hand to his right in preparation to set it down. Finally, he placed the card in the space Kaiser Sea Horse had left. He pressed down on it with his first two fingers as he did so.

Suddenly, quite suddenly, an intense white light burst forth from the card. Students screamed in surprise as they shielded themselves from the bright illumination. Kaiba tried to pull away also, but found he couldn't. He felt his energy drain through his fingertips. It seemed like it would never end. He was getting weaker and weaker. As he watched, a small dark shape rose out of the card. The light was cut off as abruptly as it had begun, and in its place roared a miniature Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Everyone gasped. Even Kaiba. He dropped the rest of his card hand, the flimsy rectangles bouncing off the desk to the floor. He stood up at the same time as Yugi, his chair scraping against the floor.

"Kaiba, what… did you do?" Yugi demanded. The white dragon roared and faded.

"I… don't know." His fatigue made itself known. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Honda happened to be there, and caught him beneath the arms as he fell.

"You okay, man?" Honda asked.

"Do not touch me!" Kaiba hissed. He allowed anger to boil up, pumping his blood hot. Anger was good. Anger gave him energy. He struggled out his peer's grasp and pushed him back. Kaiba was dizzy, but he could remain standing. His exhaustion made the colors whirl and the world tip, but he forced his feet to support him. Why was he so tired!? No matter the reason, he couldn't stay here any longer.

As he started moving, Yugi guessed what he was doing and didn't like it. The spiky-haired kid knew that he shouldn't leave. Kaiba made a break for the door, but Yugi shouted, "Don't let him leave!" And of course the class listened to him. Shy little Yugi had gone from the one bullies picked on to the one bullies didn't touch out of respect. It helped that he was the King of Games. A pro, a celebrity, if you will. And people did what celebrities asked of them. Especially if they didn't ask much.

Two boys moved in to block Kaiba. These two obviously worked at the gym often. The brunet didn't care. He hurtled into their inside shoulders, as if playing a game of Red Rover, and attempted to get through. One of his arms pushed a chest, the other a face. Before he knew it, before he could do anything, he felt more energy drain out of one arm. Gray spots appeared in his vision. He crashed into a desk, mild pain shooting up from his waist. The guy he had pushed in the face stumbled backwards.

The boy suddenly jumped onto another desk and made strangled noises. "SP-SPIDERS!" he screamed. "GIANT SPIDERS!" He was known to have intense arachnophobia.

Kaiba was becoming panicked. This was similar in the occurrence yesterday, with the thug! His heartbeat was light and fast. He could see the door, but it was… so far away. Using the desk as a brace, he pushed himself and started off once more.

But a strong voice called out, "Kaiba, stop!" It sounded like Yugi, but with a king's tone. Or a… pharaoh's. "You cannot run away from your problems. Stay." Kaiba could do nothing but oblige. He fell to the floor onto his hands and knees. His head hung, too weak to make even his neck muscles obey his command. His breathing was hard, like he had just run the mile. It was silent, save for his gasping and the other boy's whimpering.

A warm hand placed itself on his shoulder. Dimly, he was aware of someone crouch down beside him. "Kaiba," said the person. Of course, it was Yugi. Rather, Yami Yugi… "Tell me. What is going on?"

The CEO's words were breathy and very quiet. Yami Yugi had to strain to hear them. "I don't know."

"When did stuff like this start?"

"…Yesterday."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Who else has been affected?"

"Thug."

"What happened to the thug?"

"Died."

Yami's own breath caught. "Of what?"

"Fear. Heart stopped."

Yami believed he knew what was happening. He told the brunet what he thought. Kaiba didn't hear him. He had passed out.

* * *

Destiny is not one paved road, like many might believe. Perhaps there is a single fate that is required to be achieved. But even this is sometimes not reached. Nay, destiny is a many-forked dirt path in a foggy dark forest where the trees are close together. And while you might fall into a river and get swept along a predetermined path, there are always chances to climb out of the river, or go down a different waterway where it splits.

So while Seto Kaiba is helplessly swept up in a strong current with no nearby exits, there is a chance he might get out. He only has that slim chance, or else he drowns.

* * *

**Thanks for your reviews on the previous chapter. How'd you like this one? If you don't mind, review again. :)**

**The end wasn't bad, was it? Am I keeping the characters in... well, in character enough for you? Tell me what you think. **


	3. City

When the campfire burns out, we are left with nothing but ashes. When the ashes blow away, it is as if they never existed.

In a way, a campfire is much like people. Their life burns bright, but they eventually burn out. For a while, they are remembered by their friends and families. But a strong wind blows, and the only thing left of them is a tombstone. This is what stories are for. Shielding the ashes…

* * *

Seto Kaiba's eyes snapped open. He stared at a white ceiling for a while, letting his senses slowly return to him. His head felt like it was lightly throbbing – not really painful, though. He was on a stiff bed under scratchy sheets. His pillow was rather hard. The odor of disinfectant filled his nostrils. There was a humming of machines, accompanied by muffled murmurs.

"Seto! You're awake!" cried someone next to him. Funny. It sounded like Mokuba.

A new voice reached his ears. "And so he is. Be patient, kid, he might be unresponsive for a few minutes."

It sounded official. Like a doctor. Was he in a hospital? Probably. But why? Passing out hardly requires this sort of thing.

Kaiba blinked a couple times as his eyes started tearing up from being kept open too long. Finally, he found his limbs again and pushed himself to an upright position, using the wall behind the bed as back support. He observed his surroundings and decided, yes, he _was_ in a hospital room. But what for?

He forced his mouth to move. Slowly, he asked, "Why am I here?"

"You hit your head," said the doctor in the room. The female medical practitioner stood at the foot of his hospital bed, writing on a clipboard. Her auburn hair was slicked back in a ponytail, and her blue eyes flicked up to look at him every few seconds. She wasn't that very tall, but had a commanding aura about her. "Head wounds can be very dangerous, but you should be fine in a few days, after some rest. You were lucky."

Kaiba tried to think back to how he hit his head. He came up short. "How did I hit my head?"

"Memory loss is common with head wounds," the doctor told him. Her name tag said that her name was Akie. "When you first passed out, your friends got worried. The school nurse came up to transport you to her office on the first floor, but you woke up and made a break for it. I have to say, you didn't get very far."

Kaiba stared at her for a while, not quite getting it. He was becoming quite agitated with that last fact. Mokuba stepped in, but his voice was clouding up. He sounded like he was going to start crying. "You almost got run over by a car…"

_Now_ it made more sense. What a pointless excursion. Kaiba reached up and touched his forehead. Bandages were wrapped around it. How could he have been so stupid?

"If your head hurts, we can give you more painkillers," Akie said. Kaiba shook his head, and she left, possibly to go see other patients. The CEO turned to his little brother.

"Mokuba," he said. "Go home. Or at least stick by Yugi."

"Wha– why?" Kaiba looked sternly at the little boy. He had his reasons, but it was humiliating to share. Mokuba understood the look in his brother's eyes, and looked at his feet, eyes wet. "O-okay… if you think it's best…" He got up, obviously disappointed, but also worried. It's not every day your big brother and only family member first panics, then passes out, and then gets hit by a car.

After Mokuba had left, Kaiba counted the seconds. Ten minutes later, he threw the sheets back and put his bare feet on the floor. The cold sterilized tile sent shivers up his legs. He quickly found his shoes under his bed and slid them on. No way in hell was he staying in the hospital.

His room led out into a hallway. There was another doctor at one end, but the man wasn't noticing anything. He shut the door with barely a click and stepped silently down the hall, away from the doctor. Luckily, this direction led right to the stairs. If his luck held, no one else would see him.

He couldn't stop the door from banging closed behind him. The sound seemed louder than it really was as it echoed around the staircase. He paused, listening, for a few seconds before determining no one was there. He continued his escape, descending the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he peeked out the small window. Once again, no one was there. At least, not right in front. He exhaled in relief and opened the door.

All he had to do now was trek across the lobby to the front entrance, and he'd be free. A few nurses and random strangers milled around. In the center of the large room, three nurses manned the round reception desk, giving folders to doctors who stopped by. Kaiba smirked slightly. This would be easy. All he had to do was act like he was supposed to be leaving, and no one would stop him.

He proceeded with his plan, exiting the hospital effortlessly. Once outside, he glanced around quickly. He shouldn't stand awkwardly in front of the building's glass doors, after all. It looked like he was in a busier part of Domino, perhaps even in Tokyo. He swiftly started walking again, randomly turning right and heading in that direction. Once he saw a few shops, he knew for certain he was in Tokyo.

Tokyo! They had shipped him all the way to a Tokyo hospital. Geez. That was pointless, for such a minor head wound. Did they want him in expert care because he was _the_ Seto Kaiba, CEO and owner of Kaiba Corp? That was the most likely reason. Feh. Fools, they're all fools.

For now, he was glad the hospital hadn't given him one of those gowns patients usually received, and his black turtleneck and pants were more obscure than one of his trench coats. Though, he didn't know what happened to his school uniform…

Since it was still only early afternoon, there weren't a lot of people around, most of them being at work or school. Most of the pedestrians were women shopping, either with other women or with little toddlers in strollers who didn't go to school yet. He sighed. He didn't feel like going back to Domino yet. Maybe he'd walk around Tokyo for a bit. After all, he didn't get a lot of leisure time…

* * *

Jean stood in the doorway and flicked her flaming red hair over one shoulder. Scott was in the middle of throwing a few pairs of clothes in a bag.

"Hurry up, Scott," Jean said impatiently.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't pack everything at once like you can," the brunet replied, annoyed at the telekinetic. She had been standing there for only ten minutes, and she was already yapping at him to hurry up.

They needed to pack for their trip to Japan. It would be at least three days, if everything goes smoothly. And if it doesn't go smoothly (this is most probable), it could take much longer. That is, if Magneto hadn't gotten to the new mutant yet.

Their flight leaves in less than an hour…

* * *

Kaiba stood in front of the large glass windows where different sizes of televisions showed off their colors. It was on the news channel. The story was quite interesting, actually. It went something like this.

"Four hours ago, teenage CEO Seto Kaiba escaped from the hospital with minor head wounds. If you see this man, please report him. He may be unstable."

He wanted to laugh. They were making a huge deal about this. It wasn't like anyone was going to report him. Without a suit or trench coat, it was as if he was a coincidental commoner. He found it hilarious. It seemed they identified celebrities by their fashion.

A voice to his left surprised him. "Kaiba!? What the hell are you doing here?"

Kaiba turned his head to see Jounouchi Katsuya who, mind you, looked rather healthy.

"I should be asking you that," Kaiba retorted. "You're supposed to be at home, ill."

Jou put a hand behind his blond head. "Yeah, well, for the first day, I was. Sickest day of my life."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What changed today?"

Jou's brow knitted together over his puppy-dog brown eyes in anger. "That's none'of'ya business!"

"Yo, Jou!" called a female. The blond grimaced and spun around to face a tall young woman who exited a small shop. The shop was the type of one you didn't look twice at. It was entitled _Wiccan Wares_, and all sorts of mystical nonsense were sold there. The woman looked about twenty years of age. She had a round face and a pointed chin, a sweet nose, and small lips painted with dark lipstick. Her eyes were two different colors; one of them being a shocking blue, the other being a sparkling green, and make-up surrounded them in a panda style. Her hair was a pale blonde in a "stylized mess" fashion, but her eyebrows proved that her hair used to be dark brown. Her skin was rather pale, and she was quite thin. She wore dark low-rise jeans, black shoes, a white halter top, and a long burgundy sweater-type thing that was open down the entire front, had a collar, and reached almost to her knees. She was also carrying a black recycled-material handbag that bulged with newly bought merchandise.

Jou's stature noticeably slumped. It was clear that he did not want Kaiba to see her. The CEO idly wondered why. The woman glanced at the televisions in the window before returning her attention to the two people in front of her.

To Jou, she said, "Is this the guy you were complaining about?"

Jou facepalmed himself. "Y-yeah…"

Kaiba smirked. "Who's this, little mutt? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Jou growled, but before he could say anything, the woman interrupted. "The name's Chiyoko." She stuck out a hand. "You must be Seto Kaiba. A pleasure."

Kaiba hesitated, slightly suspicious. Finally, he took her hand and shook it. As he stared into her eyes, he watched her focus on something over his shoulder. It was a slight movement that she quickly corrected. He narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing.

"So who are you in relation to Katsuya?" Kaiba asked her, releasing her hand and stepping back.

"I'm his second cousin," she answered immediately. "I'm his mom's cousin. I'm visiting home while I have a break from college."

"She wouldn't let me go to school…" Jou complained. And then he glared. "Don't you think this means we're on friendly terms!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kaiba dismissed. He observed Chiyoko carefully and discreetly. Every so often, her eyes would focus on something where there was nothing. Like she was looking at air particles. And he found that sometimes when you talk to her, it takes a moment for it to register with her.

"Oh!" exclaimed Chiyoko, as if she just remembered something. She reached into her shopping bag and withdrew a wrapped gift. She handed to Kaiba, who took it with a raised eyebrow. She lowered her voice so Jou couldn't hear. She whispered, "I was told to give this to you should I meet you. You have a beautiful spirit watching over you." Then she turned to face her cousin. "Well, Jou, I think it's time we go. Heaven knows we've spent a helluva long time in the city as it is." She started walking away, but she paused and glanced over her shoulder to look at Kaiba. "Nice meetin' ya."

Kaiba let the crowd swallow the pair up before looking at the gift. He had half a mind to chuck it in the nearest trash bin, but a part of him was curious as to what it was. He unwrapped it with cautious fingers. The wrapping paper was old comics from the newspaper. Once that was peeled away, he studied the object. It was a small, anonymously-written book, entitled simply _The X-Gene_.

Now he _really_ wanted to chuck it in the trash bin. What kind of joke was this? This was obviously a fake science journal. He turned and started walking in the opposite direction Chiyoko and Jou had.

That is, until a man in a long overcoat and fedora decided to stand front of him.

* * *

**Notes: Chiyoko means (through literal translation): Child of one thousand generations. You'll find out soon why I chose this name. And Chiyoko is supposed to be calm, cool, collected... sort of like Mai. But more... Goth. Yeah...**

**A little shorter than the previous two chapters, but oh well. But next chapter, a lot of mysteriousness will be wrapped up! Let the action begin!  
**


	4. Decision

"Are there spirits in this world? Some people believe so. Many more believe they are angels, sent by God. I believe there _are_ spirits. They watch over us. They are our late mothers, fathers, or guardians. They are our late friends, our late lovers. Everyone that meant anything to us could be watching over us right now, and we can't see, hear, touch, or even smell or taste them. But we know they are there. Because we can _feel_ it."

_~Chiyoko in a debate in her freshman year of college

* * *

_

Seto Kaiba took a step back involuntarily, out of surprise. The man was _right there_ when he had turned, after all. It's quite startling, you know. Now that he was close up, he could see white hair under the gray fedora. The stranger took one hand out of his pocket and tipped the brim of his hat back with a finger. The man's face looked young, perhaps that of a forty-year-old, but his eyes were those of a ninety-year-old.

"Hello, Seto Kaiba," he said.

"You're that man who's been following me," Kaiba accused, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want? If you're trying to kidnap me, good luck. You'll need nothing short of magic to do that."

The man blinked. "I'm not here to kidnap you. I've been observing you. You are a very… special person."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "Gee, thanks. Tell me why you are here."

"Mr. Kaiba, you are a mutant."

He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. And of course, every one of his laughs sounds maniacal. "AHAHAHA! Do you really expect me to believe that!?"

The man's face didn't change from its stoic visage. "Haven't you noticed strange things happening to you recently? Things you can't explain?"

Kaiba growled at him. "What, are you going to tell me I'm a wizard now and should go to Hogwarts?"

"I'm very serious, Mr. Kaiba," the man said. "Dead serious."

"Ch. You expect me to be serious about mutants. I've been through the dark side of life. I'm not in to fairytales."

Now the man's brow furrowed in slight anger and impatience. "Mr. Kaiba, this is no fairytale. This is not magic. For the first few years of a mutant's life, they are like any other child. Sometime around when they enter high school, their dormant powers manifest themselves. This is not some mystical spell. It's a trait both you and I possess, called the X-Gene."

Kaiba subconsciously tightened his grip on the little book he now held. "Please. I'm 17. If I was… a mutant, I would have known by now."

"Not necessarily," the man denied. "Just like in human growth, there are late bloomers, and there are early bloomers."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I don't need another Health class from a stranger."

The man shook his head slowly a few times. "Forgive me. I go by the name Magneto. I have the ability to control metal."

"How nice," the CEO replied cynically.

The man was getting angry, and the brunet couldn't help but enjoy taunting him. It was too much fun getting the better of your elders. "Why don't you believe me? You've harmed, maybe killed two people! Why aren't you coming to terms with something so noticeable!?"

Kaiba forced himself not to hesitate. "Because it's too easy an explanation. It's like taking science and calling it magic."

"This _is_ science, Mr. Kaiba. I know you like having control over things. It's obvious the way you're dominating the conversation, even when I have the upper hand."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"But as of right now, you do not have control over yourself, over your mutant abilities. Don't you see? That thug… _you_ are responsible for his death! And your classmate, _you_ are responsible for his trauma! This could happen again, Mr. Kaiba. This could happen to someone you love, someone you care about."

Kaiba clenched his teeth. He was in deep shit (pardon my French), and he knew it. He knew it, goddammit! What if what happened to the thug and the classmate… happened to Mokuba? He wouldn't be able to live with himself. Hell, he could barely live with the two cases! He wasn't evil. At least, not anymore…

Kaiba glared at Magneto. "Where are you going with this?" he demanded.

The man reached out a hand, as if in a friendly, savior-type manner. "I can teach you to control your mutant abilities, so that no one else will get hurt."

The CEO felt cold, and not because of the weather. All of his muscles were tense. His decision now… it would shape the rest of his future. He could not afford to mess it up. He weighed his options. If he accepted, he'd be leaving behind Mokuba, his company, his life… And yet if he didn't, he might destroy all of that. He squeezed his eyes shut and chewed his bottom lip, both of which he didn't do often. He might not get another chance. And he can always return later, right?

He opened his icy blue eyes. He lifted his free hand and grasped Magneto's outstretched one. "Okay," he said. "I accept."

* * *

**Sorry it's so short. But I couldn't resist ending it there. Besides, if I continued the chapter, Kaiba wouldn't be in it one bit after this! (Of course, next chapter, he probably won't be in it either, but still.) But it's still awesome, right?**

**Riiiiiiiiiiiiight?**

**Review please!  
**


	5. House

"Fiction is a wonderful place where pigs can fly and mothers can marry their sons (without knowing it, of course.) It is a place where two lovers die together, where vampires find human mates, and where magic exists. It is a place where dragons fly, where fairies dance (and sometimes steal children), and where unicorns are not rhinoceroses. It is a place where mermaids sing sailors to their deaths, where the Flying Dutchman steals souls, and where the Loch Ness Monster lives. But every human knows (or should know) that there is a very determined line between this world and our world. And on that line, imagine there is bullet proof glass that can never be broken. We see into it, but we do not enter. It is sad, but it is also true. And we should pay attention to this line. Or else we end up like Stephenie Meyer."

_~What Vampiric Dragonrider decided to say*

* * *

_

Mokuba sat on the black leather couch, leaning eagerly forward, a white Wii remote and nunchuck clutched in his small hands. A gargantuan plasma screen TV hung on the wall ten feet away. The only thing separating the boy and this television was a stained oak coffee table and the Wii counsel.

"Arg! Come on!" he shouted at the screen. "You stupid Zant! Just die already!"

A few minutes of remote-flailing and rapid button-pressing resulted in Mokuba falling backwards in relief, his hands flopping to his lap. The video game changed to a cut scene, and the boy's eyes darted back and forth as he read the words that flitted across the screen. Suddenly he jolted forward as the TV made a little sound. His eyes widened.

"Holy cow! She just blew him up!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He scowled and pressed a button on the Wii Remote. The action on the screen stopped, and he pushed himself out of his hole on the couch. He padded over to the door. Yawning, he peeked through the window to the side to make sure it wasn't the paparazzi. He wasn't allowed to open the door to the paparazzi. Seto told him not to.

Speaking of Seto, where was he? He hadn't been home all afternoon. Yugi had dropped him off back home hours ago. The news said Seto was M.I.A., but Mokuba knew he was just wandering around, probably bored. Still, it made him worry…

He was surprised to see two teenagers outside the door. One was a beautiful red-head with stunning green eyes. She wore a lavender top that slightly showed her midriff and cargo pants. There was also a brunet guy with ruby-tinted sunglasses. He wore a navy v-neck sweater and beige pants. Mokuba twisted the knob and swung the door open.

"Aren't you guys cold?" he asked them.

Their eyes sparked with slight surprise when they realized the person who opened the door was a short twelve-year-old. Mokuba stared up at them, unblinking. Hey, just because he was short didn't mean he couldn't stare people down.

"Oh, uh, we sort of rushed in our packing," the red-head hurriedly said.

"Hey, little kid, is Seto home?"

Mokuba narrowed his eyes. "You must not know him very well."

"What do you mean?" the brunet scowled.

"No one calls him Seto, 'cept me."

"Yeah, and why are you so special!?" the guy spat. Mokuba ignored his tone. He was used to hearing this kind of stuff.

He nonchalantly looked at the nails of his right hand and leaned against the door frame. "Oh, I dunno, maybe 'cause I'm his only family member."

The red-head raised one dark eyebrow. "You mean you two are orphans?"

"Then where's your foster parents," the brunet asked, albeit a little harshly. "We need to speak to them and Se– Kaiba."

It was Mokuba's turn to raise his eyebrow. "You really don't know us too well. We don't have adoptive parents. Seto takes care of me."

"You make it sound like we _should_ know you," the red-head said.

"Pretty observant aren't you?" Mokuba noted. "I bet you're smarter than your boyfriend there."

They both flushed, but managed to brush off the comment. "Just tell us where you brother is," the brunet hissed.

"Why should I?" Mokuba asked. "What's your purpose? I mean, we get some issue with bad guys at least once a week, I swear. I probably shouldn't even be talking to you."

The brunet gave an impatient sound. "Jean! Can't you scan his mind, or something?" The red-head called Jean shrugged.

"I could try," she said.

Mokuba narrowed his eyes once more. He wasn't sure what was going on, but to be on the safe side, he cleared his thoughts and formed a mental brick wall around his mind.

Jean, on the other hand, closed her eyes and put her fingertips on her temples. After a few seconds, she grunted a little and said, "I can't. He's formed a mental block against me, and it's surprisingly powerful."

The brunet groaned. "Jean, we don't have the time to deal with an annoying know-it-all kid."

Mokuba sighed, taking slight pity on them. "Look, I'll answer your questions, but first you have to answer mine, okay? Us Kaibas, we live dangerous lives. Not by choice. So you know; we have to be careful. 'Kay? So just answer my questions. What's your purpose? Why do you want to see my big brother? What is so important that you have to come all the way from America?" It was pretty obvious these two were from the United States, after all. Their accent wasn't uncommon in Japan, what with tourists and such.

The brunet looked like he wanted to punch the kid, but Jean stopped him. "Scott, if we answer his questions truthfully, he'll let us see Se– I mean, Kaiba."

The guy named Scott gave a disgruntled sigh. "Fine."

"Alright. We're here to see your brother because he's a mutant."

Mokuba waggled his eyebrows good-naturedly. "Oh? Is he gonna like, sprout a third arm?"

"Not that kind of mutant," Jean continued kindly, cutting a fuming Scott off. "At least, I hope not. Scott and I are mutants too. In some humans, there's a dormant gene that manifests itself sometime during puberty."

"Why are you going all scientific on the kid?" Scott queried to the red-head. "He's like, ten."

"Twelve," Mokuba corrected. "I'm smarter than you think, too. And not just 'cause Japan's schools are way more advanced."

If only Scott didn't have to wear sunglasses. Then maybe his glare would've been more effective.

Jean proceeded calmly. "Alright, that's all the debriefing you get. Could you tell us where he is?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I actually don't know. He's been missing in action all day."

"Aren't you worried?" Scott asked.

"Not really," Mokuba said. "He just walked out of the hospital. Oh don't worry, nothing major. But he really did freak out today in school. Yugi told me all about it."

"Who's Yugi?" Jean asked.

Mokuba snorted. "Wow, do you not watch TV? Yugi is the King of Games."

"That means nothing to us," Scott said flatly. "And to most of the people in America."

Mokuba sighed. "I'm not gonna tell you about him just yet. It's a long story. Okay, so you think my bro is a mutant? Does that mean I'm one too?"

"That's not necessarily true," Jean said. "One of our mentors has a sister that is not a mutant. If you do not show mutant abilities, you'll only carry the dormant gene."

"Like a virus?" An innocent enough question, but it set Scott off.

"It's not a virus!" he shouted, before forcing himself to lower his voice. "Why does everyone think there's something wrong with us?"

Mokuba took a step back, arms raised in a defensive position. "Hey, I wasn't saying that. I was just referring to the fact that some people can carry a virus but not show any symptoms and still pass it on."

Jean put a hand on Scott's arm. "Calm down, he's just a kid." She turned her attention back to the boy. "So you don't know where he is. I assume you don't know when he'll be back, too."

Mokuba shook his head. "Nope. He doesn't usually do spontaneous stuff like this, but even he needs a break sometimes. He should be back before tomorrow, though. He wouldn't leave me alone that long. You guys can come inside for a bit…"

"Oh no," Jean said. "We should look for him. We'll come back tomorrow."

Mokuba shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat. Bye." He stepped back and shut the door in the two teenagers' faces. "What a strange couple."

* * *

Jean and Scott walked away from the Kaiba mansion. Scott, of course, was disgruntled. "Why do we have to deal with such a spoiled know-it-all brat!?" he fumed.

"Scott, calm down," Jean said. "We should find this Yugi person and ask what happened in school today."

"Why?" Scott asked. "That won't get us any closer to finding him."

"No, but when we _do_ find him, it might help us to deal with him."

Scott sighed. "All right, but where to we find him?"

"Let's ask around," Jean suggested. "The boy had said he was famous enough."

They had by this time walked a little farther downtown. They could no longer see the mansion they had left. Jean stopped a short kid with spiky hair and wide violet eyes. It seemed whacky hairstyles were popular in Japan. She spoke slowly. "Excuse me, do you know a… Yugi?"

"Yugi Mutou?" he asked for clarification, also showing that he could understand English perfectly well. "The King of Games?"

"Yeah."

"That's me," the little boy said.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "How old are you? Twelve?"

"Uh, seventeen," the boy named Yugi said. "I'm just short… What can I help you with?"

Seems nice enough, thought Jean. "Well," she said, "we're looking for Kaiba."

Yugi tilted his head like a puppy. "Huh? Whatever for?"

"Actually, we need to ask what happened in school today. His little brother said he freaked."

"Mokuba told you that? Hmm… Well, you guys don't _seem_ evil. Come back to my house, where we can talk in private."

Jean was about to refuse, but stopped. Where else were they going to go? They couldn't hope to find Kaiba in the humongous city that was Tokyo. So she said, "All right, lead the way."

* * *

Chiyoko hefted her black bag over her shoulder as she walked with Jou back to his apartment. "So why didn't you want me to meet Kaiba?"

Jou growled. "He's a jerk. I don't like 'im."

Chiyoko raised one dark eyebrow. The woman over his shoulder was a kind and shining entity. Why would a guardian spirit like that watch over a jerk? "Why don't you like him?"

The blond boy ticked off the reasons on his fingers. "Well, let's see. He's a condescending bastard; he's cruel to everyone; he might have killed his own stepfather; and he and I most certainly do not get along."

She remembered that the tall brunet had called her relative a mutt. And she was sure the name calling didn't stop there.

"_Oh, Mademoiselle,"_ a young man said suddenly. He was going the opposite direction, but he stopped and tried to keep pace with the two of them. _"Excuse me, but, uh, my wife. She's so depressed. I want to give her my letter, explaining everything, but I put it in a specific spot, and she hasn't found it."_

Chiyoko glanced at the man, not turning her head. He was wearing clothes from the 1940s. She said to Jou, "I could see that, coming out of the store. But he seemed polite to me." Great, she thought. These guys never leave me alone.

"Yeah, well, I guess he wants to manipulate you later, or somethin'…" Jou grumbled. She slapped her free hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about me. Besides, I'll probably never see him again," she said to him, perhaps a bit cheerfully. Only to family was she cheerful.

"I wish _I _didn't have to see him again…" he continued.

"Oh, I wouldn't think that. Once he's really gone, you'll find you miss him."

Jou cast a sidelong glance at her. "Why do you say that? I hate the guy."

Chiyoko shrugged. "It's not whether you like him or not. It's the connections you formed."

A little girl with tightly curled blonde hair holding a teddy bear ran up to Chiyoko. _"Oh pwease, miss, my mommy and daddy are so scared. Could you pwease pwease pwease pwease with a chewwy on top? Tell them where I am and who took me away fwom them?"_

Jou rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Chi."

Chiyoko tousled his hair. "So how are your grades holding up?"

"Just fine," he muttered.

"Except…"

Jou glared at her, but he didn't put real animosity behind it. "Math."

Chiyoko smirked at him playfully. "Aww, has Geometry gotten you down?"

"You know I'm in Pre-Calc…"

"Don't you have that class with Yugi? Why don't you ask him for help?"

"He already helps enough."

"He's your best friend. He'll help with anything."

"_CHILD!" _called someone with a chiming, angelic voice.

Chiyoko stopped dead in her tracks. Jou stopped too and looked at her weirdly. "Chi, you okay?"

Chiyoko slowly turned around, and sure enough, there she was. The beautiful young woman with long thick golden-brown hair like honey, and amazing sapphire eyes, who seemed to have softly glowing skin. Her cream dress wrapped around her gracefully as she floated towards Chiyoko.

"I'm fine, Jou," the blonde told her cousin too late, too distractedly. Jou narrowed his eyes.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Chiyoko ignored him. This was too important.

"_Child," _the woman said again. _"You must help me. My son is in danger."_

"Say what?" Chiyoko asked, her breath catching in the back of her throat.

"What is it! Tell me, dammit!" Jou insisted.

Chiyoko turned on him. "Kaiba is in danger."

* * *

***Yeah, sorry, I was looking at a bunch of Anti-Twilight stuff recently. But you have to agree, once you tell your husband that if a character or two that you created showed up on your doorstep, you'd leave him... there's something wrong there. Especially if you're Mormon. Do moral values mean nothing when it comes to fictional characters?**

**So, yeah, it took a bit longer to get this chapter up. But ahm... Merry late Christmas!! (or whatever you celebrate)  
**


	6. Illusions

The blank page can be more frightening than the dark, heights, spiders and reptiles, and clowns all in one. It is even worse when the blank page is after sheets and sheets of long, scrawling words.

* * *

Before Jou could answer, Chiyoko grasped his wrist and yanked him back the direction they came. He was bewildered. It looked as though his cousin was listening to someone else, following someone else. But the people he saw, she wasn't paying attention to. He was _so_ confused.

"Why do we have to help Kaiba!?" Jou complained.

Chiyoko glanced back at him. "He's just chosen a path that will almost destroy him completely. Is that reason enough?" she said harshly.

Jou grimaced. As much as he hated the guy, he wouldn't want to spell misfortune on him. "But how do you know this? You can't see the future," he asked.

Chiyoko was silent for a long time as they ran. Jou fought to remain patient, and finally, she answered, breathless from running. "Jou, there's something you don't know about me. I…" She took a deep breath. "I am a mutant. I can see and summon spirits."

Jou broke from Chiyoko's grasp and ran alongside her. He grinned at his cousin. "You know, I've heard wackier things in my life."

She shot him a grateful smile. "Well, since you accept that fact so well, I'll tell you how I know. Kaiba's mother is guiding me."

He was mildly surprised. "Eh? Really? What's she look like?"

She stared straight ahead. "She's beautiful… There!" She pointed. Jou could see the Kaiba's back as he faced someone in a gray fedora and long coat. The CEO looked like he was shaking the man's hand.

Jou sucked in a breath through his teeth. Time to take action. "YO!" he bellowed. "MONEYBAGS!"

* * *

The boy Yugi led Jean and Scott to a small shop entitled "Kame Game." The two mutants followed him inside to a room behind the cashier counter. It was a living room, with a square coffee table, two couches, and an armchair. Yugi took the chair while Jean and Scott shared a couch.

"So what do you want Kaiba for?" the short teen asked pleasantly.

"We want to take him back with us to the Xavier Institute," Jean explained.

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a school for people with… special abilities." Jean was wary telling this guy about mutants. She only wanted to tell the people necessary. Which was, in this case, only the boy named Mokuba.

"I see…" Yugi mused. "So what did you want to ask me exactly?"

"We need to know what happened in school today," Scott demanded.

Yugi held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Don't get angry, I'll tell you. Kaiba and I were playing a card game, Duel Monsters, but obviously you haven't heard of it…"

"I think I have, actually," Jean said. "I see the cards in the mall."

Yugi nodded. "So nothing strange happened until he wanted to summon his Blue Eyes White Dragon. It's his favorite card. So he goes to summon it, and there's this bright light. And then there's a miniature Blue Eyes over the card. It doesn't stay there very long, it fades soon after."

"So was it a hallucination or something?" Jean asked.

Yugi shook his head, then paused." Well, I guess, but we all saw it. So Kaiba got panicked and tried to escape, but these two guys tried to block him. He shoved them away, but one of the guys suddenly started hallucinating about giant spiders."

"This is serious…" Scott murmured.

"You can say that again," Yugi sighed.

"What did he do to this guy?" Jean asked.

Yugi had to think about that. "It all happened fast, but I think when he went to push him away, Kaiba's hand covered the guy's eyes. Does that count for anything?"

"I'm not sure," Jean replied. "Anything happen to the other guy?"

"No," Yugi told her. "But Kaiba had pushed him away by the torso."

Scott lurched up and snapped his fingers. "I think I have it! Jean, do you think he can summon illusions?"

"It's a possibility," Jean said smartly, "but let's not jump to conclusions. We should get going, Yugi. Thanks for your help."

"No problem," Yugi said. He hesitated, then added, "When you find him, be careful. He's a… very _touchy _person."

"We'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"MONEYBAGS!" shouted someone from behind him. Kaiba whirled around on his heel to see Jounouchi and Chiyoko. They both looked out of breath, but determined, and perhaps a bit angry.

He felt an arm wrap around his chest and wrench him back. He stumbled as Magneto swiftly stepped in front of him, one arm outstretched. A car parked on the side of the road shuddered and lifted up before shooting at the two blonds. Kaiba's eyes widened as Jou and Chiyoko threw themselves onto the ground. The car zoomed overhead and crashed into the TVs. Those that did not die flickered with white noise.

"What are you doing!?" Kaiba shouted. Whether it was aimed at Magneto or Jou and Chiyoko, he wasn't sure.

The car alarm was going off, a loud ringing. Magneto flung a hand towards the streets, and all the cars shuddered, setting off the alarm. He bellowed, "This is not the time and place. I am not going to fight." He looked over his shoulder at Kaiba. "You, in the alleyway ten yards behind you, there's a metal orb. It will take you to my hideout. Understand?"

Kaiba was about to turn around when Chiyoko cried his name. "Kaiba! Don't do this! You have no idea what you're getting into!" He was torn. Both people talking to him, he didn't know and he didn't quite trust.

"Kaiba!" It was Jou. "Listen! I hate you, but Chiyoko is telling the truth. This guy is bad, an' I don't trust 'im!"

He growled. "If you hate me, why should I believe you!?" He wanted so bad to turn away. To run from it all. But he knew this wouldn't solve a single solitary thing.

Chiyoko spoke now. They had by this time picked themselves up off the sidewalk. "Kaiba, I can see spirits in this world. That means I can see your mother. Please, for her, step away from him."

Kaiba's eye twitched. His eyebrows knotted together, and his lips lifted up in a snarl. He didn't know it, but his blue eyes glowed. He stepped forward and pushed Magneto aside. "Only weaklings bring the deceased into the conversation," he roared. Chiyoko's eyes widened in fear. It felt like he was towering over her. The bitter wind picked up, lifting his hair around his face wildly. "I make my own decisions."

"You and I both know this is bad!" Jou yelled. Kaiba turned on him too, and he flinched away.

"You are nothing better than a mangled mutt, and you never were," Kaiba hissed. His fists were clenched, his knuckles white and his nails biting into his skin. Suddenly, however, he gave a choked gasping sound. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he dropped like a stone.

"Idiot!" he heard Magneto say. "You used too much energy."

And then he blacked out.

* * *

Chiyoko heard Kaiba's guardian spirit wail in agony as Kaiba crumpled to the sidewalk. She glared up at the stranger. "You leave Kaiba alone!" she demanded.

The man chuckled. "You still support him even though he put an illusion on you, Necromancer?"

Chiyoko snarled at him. She hadn't used that title for years. And since then, she'd broken off every connection she had in the mutant world. "Who are you."

"Magneto," said the man, his voice as soft as a hiss. He raised his hands once more. "You wanted a fight, you'll get a fight. But you are no match for me!"

The cars lifted up, and just before they crashed down, Chiyoko cried, "Spirits! Protect us!"

Ghosts swarmed to surround them. They caught the automobiles as they were flung and put them back down where they belonged. She latched on to Jou and started pulling him away.

"What are you doing!?" Jou demanded. "We need to help him."

"He's going to kill us," she told him, her voice harsh. "Do you want to die?"

Jou shuddered and risked a glance back.

"So then, what do we do?" he asked in a small voice.

"What ever we can."

* * *

**I am not very pleased with this chapter. If you want a hint why, look at that first passage before the chapter actually starts.**

**The fight was very forced, but I wanted some car flinging action. Tell me what you thought anyway. Hope you enjoyed it!  
**


	7. Letter

Time is not a straight line. Nor is it a cycle. No, you could say Time is an idea we humans created. Time dominates our lives, but it does not exist in the ways we think. Time is not future or past. Time is now. There is no other moment than now. Future travel is not possible, because it does not exist. We can predict it because humans are often predictable. Past travel is not possible, because that moment has passed, and cannot be accessed anymore. So, we humans, we are trapped by Time. We make our choices, and have no choice but to follow it. There are no do-overs, because there is no other moment but now.

* * *

Chiyoko and Jou continued running. It wasn't too hard. Any crowd that had been there was now running in the same direction as them.

Unluckily for them, Magneto was still on their tail. They passed a hardware store, metal tools burst through the window, narrowly missing them.

Suddenly, Chiyoko screamed, "Jou, look out!" Jou felt hands at his back, and he was sent sprawling. He looked back, shocked, to see a car who had lost control slam into his cousin. Her head smashed against the wall behind her, leaving a dent and knocking her unconscious.

"CHIYOKO!!!!!" he shouted, his throat choking up.

A shadow fell over him, and he saw Magneto standing above him. The old man squatted down. "You will not remember me," he ordered. Then he placed his hand on Jou's forehead, entangled his fingers into the blond's hair, and smashed the boy's head into the sidewalk. Jou didn't have time to prepare himself. He, too, was knocked unconscious.

And since he was knocked out, it was only natural that he'd wake up in a hospital.

* * *

Jean and Scott stood in the middle of the swarming throngs of busybodies going about their business shopping.

"Where could he be?" Scott demanded. "You'd think someone like him would be easy to find!"

"I dunno, Scott," Jean told him. "I bet a man like him could hide very well if he wanted too." Her cell phone started ringing, and she dug it out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" Scott asked.

"Shh." Jean was listening to the person on the other side. "Okay," she said, "we'll get over there." She flipped the phone closed and replaced it in her pocket. "That was the professor. He said that Katsuya Jounouchi, a person somewhat close to the guy we're looking for, has just been admitted into the hospital. We might be able to get a lead on this Kaiba guy from him."

"Sounds as good a plan as any," Scott muttered, running a hand through his brown hair. "This was getting to be such a pain anyway."

* * *

As it turned out, Jou only suffered minor head injuries, and slight memory loss. Meaning, he couldn't remember how he hit his head. But they let him go once they were certain he had retained all his motor skills and the such.

Chiyoko, on the other hand, was not so lucky. A broken leg, three fractured ribs, and a cracked forearm weren't the worst part, the doctors said. She wasn't going to wake up any time soon, the doctors said. She was in a coma, the doctors said. But they let Jou see her. He didn't quite remember how she got hurt, either, but he thought it had something to do with an automobile.

So while he was sitting at her bedside, listening to the heart monitor beep and a nice, even tempo, the door opened behind him, and he heard two pairs of feet clack against the floor. He turned around to see a pretty red-head girl and a brunet guy with ruby glasses. They both looked his age. He stood up to face them.

"Whaddya want?" he demanded.

The red-head raised up her hands defensively. "Please," she said soothingly. "We only want to ask a few questions."

Jou narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jean," she said. "This is Scott. We're looking for Seto Kaiba. Have you seen him at all today?"

"Why should I tell you!?"

Jean sighed. "I guess we're doing this the hard way." She placed her fingertips at her temples and closed her eyes in concentration. Jou's eyes widened as mental pulses were sent his way. Suddenly, everything fell away…

…and he was facing Jean again, but this time it was in a different room. This room had no windows and only one door, which was open. He was facing this door, and it looked as though Jean had just entered it. Posters covered the wall, the pictures ranging from action movies to wrestling stars to duel monsters. Duel Monster cards lay strewn in a messy pile in one corner. A yo-yo could be seen amongst the piles of junk. A giant book rested behind him. It was chained shut, and had the word "Memories" scrawled across it. He knew all this without having to look at it. He thought he knew where he was – Yugi had told him about it. It was his mind room. And Jean had invaded it.

"Get out of my mind!" he roared angrily. Something similar to a strong wind blew past him and knocked Jean back. She shouted a bit. The door slammed in her face…

…and they were back in the hospital room. Jean grunted and opened her eyes. "That was weird," she murmured. "I couldn't get a good reading. He forced me out."

"Japan is a place full of weird people," Scott said under his breath.

"Please," Jean continued, trying once more to coax words out of him. "Kaiba could be in danger. We need to find him."

Jou shook his head roughly, his hair flopping around. "I can't remember much what happened in the last… hour or so. Listen, I think I saw Kaiba, but I don't remember what happened."

"What about her," Scott said, motioning to Chiyoko on the bed. "Would she remember something?"

Whatever friendliness Jou was showing them vanished. "She's in a coma!" he yelled at them. "Yeh jerks!"

Jean took a deep breath. Seems as though she would _have_ to tell him. He wasn't as easy-going as Yugi was. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Scott and I, we're mutants. I'm telepathic and telekinetic."

Jou paused. "…Mutants?" Jean nodded. He growled. "Then don't just force-read my mind!"

"Well you weren't being very cooperative!" Jean scolded. She forced herself to calm down. "Okay, look. Since you don't remember anything, do you think we could scan her mind?" She nodded her head at Chiyoko on the bed.

"I guess," said Jou reluctantly. "But don't expect it to be easy."

Jean walked past Jou to stand by the bed. When she placed her fingertips to her temples in preparation to scan her mind, however, she was suddenly pushed back, as if someone had shoved her forcefully. With a shout, she fell to the ground. "What the heck!?"

"Warned you," Jou said. "Chi's a mutant, too. She's got ghosts protectin' her."

Jean and Scott stared incredulously at Jou. The red-head looked up at Scott. "I won't be able to scan her mind if ghosts aren't letting me concentrate," she said, somewhat sadly. "We'll never find Kaiba. We should just go home, Scott."

Jou felt a twang of pity tug his heartstrings. "Listen," he said in a low voice. "I don't remember much, but I do remember Kaiba was talking to a guy. I think he was going along with whatever the man offered, too. I bet he's left the country by now. You'll never find him."

"Gee, thanks for trying to cheer us up," Scott jeered. Jou shrugged.

"C'mon, Scott," Jean said. "We've done what we could. We should just go home."

* * *

Mokuba was curled up in his bed. The lights were off in his room, casting everything into shadows. The sun had set a while ago. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were wet with tears.

"Big brother," he moaned, his voice cracking. "Where are you…?" He tightened his grip on the teddy bear he was holding. He didn't usually do such babyish stuff, but Seto didn't usually disappear on him either. And a stuffed animal can give lots of comfort, surprisingly.

He heard his something creak, and he shot up, hoping Seto was back, opening his door to say he was all right. But his door was still closed. He let out a sob before he realized that there was a breeze cooling his face. He turned to his left to see the window next to his bed was open. As he watched, what looked like a large metal marble floated in through the window to land with a plot onto his lap. He picked it up and studied it.

There was a fine line around the center of it. He twisted the two halves created by this line, and the ball fell apart. A slip of paper was inside. Curious, he unfolded the paper. As he read it, fresh tears ran down his cheeks. It said:

_Mokuba;_

_I know you are wondering where your brother is. I cannot tell you who I am, but I can tell you that he is in good hands. I know you probably won't trust me on this, but it is the truth. I will be training him to control his mutant abilities, which I am sure you know about by now. He won't be coming back for a while. I'm sorry._

It was unsigned.

Mokuba let out a sob again, this time in anger. A half of the metal ball was still in one hand. He clenched this hand in a fist, closing around the half. What he didn't expect was the metal to soften, crumpling in his small fist as easy as mud. Bewildered, he opened his hand to see the disfigured metal. He poked it with a finger of his other hand. It had turned squishy, which was _not_ how metal was. He realized that he was more fatigued now, too.

"Huh," he said out loud. "That's weird."

Jean and Scott were in their reserved hotel room when her phone rang again. Professor X was calling once more.

"Jean," he said in Jean's ear. "Another mutant has been found by Cerebro."

"Another one…?" she asked tiredly.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I fear I ask too much, but I request that you find him, also."

"Sorry, Professor," Jean apologized. "Kaiba got away. He's probably left the country by now and become untraceable."

"I understand," the professor said. "But this mutant shouldn't be too hard to find."

He told her the name, and she nearly dropped the phone. "We'll get right on it," she told him. She hung up and said to Scott, "It's time to move."

Mokuba couldn't fall asleep, so it was no surprise that he got to the front door quickly when the bell rang. It was Jean and Scott again. He knew why. He was kind of expecting them.

"I guess you're here for me, now," he said, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"You got it, kid," Scott said. "You gonna make our job easy?"

"Yeah, I'm already packed," Mokuba told them, turning around and running upstairs. A minute later, his feet retraced his path. He followed them away from his own front door.

He cast one long, last look at his house. He sniffed, then turned around to face the backs of Jean and Scott. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Nah, he decided. They don't need to know.

Maybe if he had told them about the letter, they could have figured it out and saved Kaiba from weeks of trauma.

Maybe.

Or maybe not.

No one will ever know.

* * *

**This is basically my "Going Back To School" gift. Ick... I've got Finals in a week or so. You guys might not see a single solitary update from me in the meanwhile. Not on this story, not on any other stories. Unless, of course, I decide to procrastinate -- which, knowing me, will probably happen. Still not making promises.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Review, please. Your reviews are greatly appreciated, and keep me motivated.  
**


	8. Rooms

Sadness hits you like a sledgehammer, and then ties you up in chains. You sink like a sack of bricks and drown in depression. Your heart grows heavy and dead, just a hole in your chest. Your world becomes dark and lonesome, even if you're surrounded by family and friends. Your eyes continuously burn with the threat of tears, and you ache for a way out of this torture.

Then write. Write, and draw, and dance, and make music. If there is only one way to channel emotions so that they may be easier to bear, it is through the arts.

* * *

Kaiba lay for a few seconds, blinking his eyes to make sure they were open. There wasn't much difference between his surroundings and the back of his lid. He hoped he wasn't blind.

His body ached all over. For long, precious minutes he was content to lie there on his back. He was on a bed with a rather firm – but not uncomfortable – mattress, and a blanket was thrown over him. He knew he should get up, walk around and maybe find out where he was, maybe find a light switch or something, but he couldn't summon the willpower to even lift a finger. Or, rather, _wouldn't_. For the first time in his life (that he can remember), he felt lazy. This laziness was perhaps brought on by the fact that his muscles ached.

But just because he was lazy, didn't mean he wasn't curious. He wanted to know where the hell he was. He guessed Magneto took him somewhere after he blacked out… Speaking of which, how long was he out? He hoped Mokuba was okay. He had wanted to say goodbye to him, but then complications arose…

His acute hearing picked up the sound of a door swinging open. The noise of a light switch being flipped reached his ears, and a light on the ceiling snapped on. He squinted at the sudden brightness.

"Oh good," came a familiar voice. "You're awake." Magneto… "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap if I move," Kaiba replied. There was no point in lying to this old man, he decided. If he lied to Magneto, he wouldn't get as much out of what he has to learn.

The man chuckled. "That's understandable. You used too much of your power before you had worked up your stamina. It seems it's easier for you to cast illusions on people if you are touching them – mainly on the face and eyes."

Kaiba suddenly remembered the Blue Eyes White Dragon he had summoned. "Illusions?"

"Yes, illusions," Magneto drawled. "Quite obvious. In the times I've been observing you, it seems there are three stages. One requires you to cover the victim's eyes, and uses minimal energy. The other requires eye contact, and uses a little more energy. The last summons an illusion for everyone, but uses much more energy."

"Makes sense," Kaiba agreed.

"Would you like to rest more?" Magneto asked.

All of a sudden, Kaiba's heart ached, too. It felt like there was a great pit in his chest. Was it Magneto's empathy? Or was it something else? He couldn't quite pinpoint it. "We should be… training," he pointed out.

He could almost feel Magneto's amused smile. "We will start training when you are re-energized." He flipped the light switch once more and left the room.

Kaiba forced down a dry sob. He knew what it was.

Magneto was acting like a father…

* * *

He hadn't meant to, but he fell back asleep. Kaiba squirmed in his slumber.

His dream was confusing him. His surroundings were a thick, purple smoke, and red spirals faded in and out of view. He tried to wave the smoke away, but there was so much, nothing really happened.

More shapes started appearing in the haze. Faces… People… At first, he couldn't tell who they were, but then there were two screams, one male and one female. Chiyoko and Jounouchi faded in, frozen in time with looks of terror distorting their faces. They, too, faded out. Another voice reached his ears, and another person faded in to accompany it.

"_Why did you leave me, Seto?"_ The boy's black hair shielded his eyes, but Kaiba knew who it was. _"Where did you go, Seto?"_ The boy was also frozen in time, and even though his closed lips never parted, his voice still echoed around Kaiba, pounding on his ears. _"I miss you, Seto."_

Mokuba started to fade away. Kaiba reached out a hand, but like in a 3-D movie, the ravenet* was untouchable. "Mokuba!" he tried to call, but his vocal cords didn't want to vibrate. His mouth was open, but no sound came out.

A brand new character faded in, in the exact spot Mokuba had disappeared. This man was wearing all red, with a red helmet and purple cape. Kaiba knew who this was, too. _"Come with me,"_ the man said, holding out his hand. _"Come with me and you won't have to destroy those you love."_ His cape was flowing out behind him dramatically. His feet weren't resting on anything. This man was not frozen in time. _"Come with me, and you will learn to control your powers."_

Kaiba couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth and forced his voice to comply. He screamed.

That was how he woke up, too. Screaming.

* * *

Mokuba pressed his forehead against the airplane window to look at the clouds from above. The plane's vibrations rattled his bones annoyingly, but that didn't stop him from looking out the window. Jean and Scott sat in the other two seats next to him. Scott was sleeping with the earphones of an MP3 player in his ears. Jean was reading a book, glancing over every once in a while at Mokuba.

"You act like you've never been on a plane before," Jean noted.

"I have," the ravenet replied. "But I love looking at stuff from so high up."

Jean nodded knowingly. Mokuba continued staring at the clouds for a while, before turning forward again and thumping into the back of his seat. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him blankly, his mind suddenly gone numb.

Where was Seto? He missed him already, and it's only been maybe 24 hours since he last saw him. Mokuba's heart ached with a loneliness that he was almost certain couldn't be solved without his brother.

It's not like Seto hasn't been gone for a few days, Mokuba reminded himself. He tried to reassure himself with that thought, but it always cycled to another one. One that chastised him, telling him "This isn't a business trip he's on. He's actually missing!" Mokuba swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't want to cry in front of Jean and Scott… He barely knew them, and he didn't want to look weak.

"You okay?" Jean asked.

"Fine," Mokuba quickly replied. "Just bored." The she bought it, thankfully, and returned to her book. Mokuba sighed and looked out the window again. He could only hope he was doing the right thing, that these people were _good_ people… and that by joining them, he might be able to find his brother.

Magneto stared intently at the glowing monitor in front of him. His red helmet was back on his head to protect from any possible psychic attacks. Sabretooth stood grumpily behind him. On the screen, Magneto could see Kaiba sitting on his bed with his head cradled in his hands.

"Why do you have such an interest in this kid?" Sabretooth growled.

Magneto shifted his attention to the laptop next to the monitor. He clicked a button, and it woke up from its sleep. He pointed to the now-luminous screen. Sabretooth squinted at it. "That's why," Magneto said. "About two years ago, he almost killed an old man out of greed. Two or three years before that, his stepfather died mysteriously, leaving him Kaiba Corp."

"Hmph," Sabretooth harrumphed. "He doesn't look like he could kill anyone to me."

Magneto had anticipated this question. "No, he refuses to kill willingly, it seems. At least, right now. He changed after playing a card game with a person named Yugi Mutou." He jabbed his finger at the screen for emphasis. "I want him to be like he was _before_ that card duel."

Sabretooth made a disbelieving grunt. "Oh yeah? How're you gonna do that, then?"

Magneto closed his eyes for a moment before looking at the monitor of Kaiba's room again. "He's slow to trust, that's for sure. But once I gain it, I know how I'll be able to tear him down into the cold-blooded human he was before."

Sabretooth raised a furry eyebrow and watched as Magneto began to chuckle maniacally.

* * *

Mokuba wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep, but he must have, because before he knew it, Jean was shaking him awake.

"The plane has landed," she told him. "Let's go."

Mokuba yawned and rubbed his eyes. He grabbed his backpack and followed Jean and Scott off the aircraft. Once past the baggage claim, they headed out to a taxi waiting for them. About half an hour later, they were on the highway headed to Bayville, New York.

One their drive to the Xavier Institute, Mokuba made small talk with the two older mutants. They discussed what was going to happen. Apparently, to help keep an eye on Mokuba, he was going to enroll into Bayville High as a freshman. It wouldn't be too much trouble; he was way smart for his age. He'd have no trouble keeping up in class, and it wasn't like he was going to be friendless. The other freshman mutants would be there, whom Mokuba would meet soon. Besides, he was only two years younger than the ninth graders.

Mokuba was really excited to be meeting new people, but deep inside, he didn't allow himself to enjoy it too much. He couldn't, not when he didn't know where his brother was. His only family was gone. No matter how friendly these new people were going to be, he would never be truly happy until he at least found out where Seto was. He knew it.

So when they reached the Institute, he plastered on a wide grin. Jean and Scott led him up the long driveway to the front steps of the large manor. Once in through the double doors, he looked apprehensively but appreciatively at the entrance hall. His house was bigger than the Institute, but it was a fair size.

In front of him was a wide marble staircase, the middle of which was covered in plush red carpet. At the top of this staircase, there was a landing. Three hallways opened onto this landing. Hanging from the ceiling was a massive chandelier that illuminated the entire room. That wasn't the only light source, though, for almost the entire front wall were windows. Mokuba could see a door on either side of the staircase, and a hallway to his left and right. His two elders took him down the hallway to the right.

He entered a large study, complete with books lining the wall, a fireplace, a couch, and multiple arm chairs. In this room, there was a bald man wearing dark clothes in a wheelchair. Once Jean and Scott had nodded at the man, they left.

"Hello," he said. Mokuba thought the man had a British way of clipping off his words. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. I founded this Institute to help new mutants like you learn to control and utilize your abilities. You must be Mokuba Kaiba."

"Yes," Mokuba replied politely. "That's me."

"I hope you will be comfortable here," the professor told him. "You'll be getting a room to yourself." Suddenly, he frowned at the black-haired boy. Mokuba immediately started putting up mental walls like he did for Jean, but the professor said, "That might've worked for Jean, Mokuba, but it won't work on me."

Nevertheless, Mokuba didn't stop trying to block out Xavier. After a minute, Professor X let out a sigh. Mokuba couldn't help but snap at him, "I don't think I like telepaths."

"I apologize for intruding," Xavier told him. "I couldn't help but sense your depression. Jean might have not noticed anything, but I have. I'm sorry for your brother."

Mokuba suddenly couldn't look the professor in the eyes. "He was supposed to come here, wasn't he," he asked dully.

"You're a bright young man," Xavier said soothingly. "We'll find him. Give it time. In the meantime, get situated, and meet the other mutants once they come back from school. You'll start school tomorrow." Mokuba turned to leave, but looked back when the professor added, "Mokuba, I won't intrude on your mind again, but if there is anything you want to share, you can share it with me."

And Mokuba knew the professor would be more secure than the Kaiba Corp. files. He couldn't help but feel that this old man was offering that because he was at least two years younger than the other mutants. So even though he said "Okay" back to the professor, he knew he wouldn't take up on the offer. He'd be strong, he decided. He'd be strong for Seto.

* * *

***Ravenet (fem. Ravenette) is a term I made up to describe someone with black hair. I was tired of saying "Black-haired boy." Same with "White-haired boy" (came up with Blanchet (fem. Blanchette)).**

**I am aware that Magneto might be acting more evil than he should be. Well, maybe he is, but he IS kind of evil. Sure, he wants to help mutants too, but he's still kinda evil.**

**Nevertheless, tell me what you thought. :3  
**


	9. Institute

_"As the years pass by  
Before my face,  
As wars rage before me,  
Finding myself  
In these last days of existence,  
This parasite inside me,  
I forced it out.  
In the darkness of the storm  
Lies an evil,  
But it's me." _~ "Field of Innocence" Evanescence

* * *

Scott took Mokuba up to his new room. It was a good size, with a twin-sized bed done up with pale blue sheets, an oak dresser with a mirror hung above it, a wooden desk with a matching chair, a short bookcase that doubled as a bedside table, and a balcony opposite the door. Scott explained that there was a bathroom down the hall that the guys shared. The brunet bid Mokuba goodbye, suggesting that he get situated and unpacked.

So Mokuba opened one of his bags and moved his clothes from there to the dresser. Once that was done, he put whatever books he had, plus his video games, on the bookshelf. Just as he was putting the last DS cartridge case on a shelf, he glanced at the bed. His throat choked up.

He remembered that Seto's sheets at home were this exact shade of blue. Seeing this color brought back memories of when, having being woken up by a nightmare, he would walk down the hallway to his big brother's room. Seto would always always always accept him into his large bed…

Mokuba bit his bottom lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. He was not gonna cry, he was not gonna cry…

"Oh hey!" Mokuba jumped, looking at the door. He nearly shrieked when he saw a girl's head sticking through it. "You must be the new kid!"

Heart still pumping like mad, he watched the girl walk _through the door_ to stand in front of it. She was wearing a yellow top covered by a pink, three-quarter sleeved sweater and denim capris. Her brown hair was done up in a pony tail, with long bangs framing her face. Her eyes were blue and twinkling with a smile.

This place will take some getting used to…

"My name's Kitty," she offered.

"Mokuba," he said in reply. He tried to stop staring bewilderedly at her.

"Aww, you're cute," she said. "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"I have to say," she told him. "You look two years younger than that."

Mokuba gave a short laugh. "You're not the only one who thinks that."

Kitty giggled. "Anyway," she said, striding over to put her hands on the bed, leaning forward. "What's your mutant abilities?"

"Oh, uh…" Mokuba put a hand behind his head. "I'm not entirely sure…"

"That's okay, you'll find out soon, here," Kitty told him. "I can phase through objects." As if to prove her point, she walked right through the bed to stand next to Mokuba and put her hand on his head to tousle his black hair. "Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, c'mon!" Kitty exclaimed, taking his hand. "You gotta meet the rest of the crew!"

Hopeless to resist, Mokuba let this strange girl phase him through his bed and his wall out into the hallway. It was an odd feeling, going through solid objects like they were no more tangible than air. Kitty pulled him down to the kitchen, where two people resided. One was a man with bulging muscles and dark messy hair, and he was reading a newspaper. The other was a pale girl about Kitty's age with gothic makeup and short brown hair with a white streak.

As soon as Kitty and Mokuba entered, the two people looked up. Their expressions did not look too friendly. Mokuba couldn't help but blush, feeling his face heat up. Kitty didn't seem to take heed of this. "Hiya, Wolverine, Rogue! This is who Scott and Jean brought back!"

"H-hi…" Mokuba said shyly. Would they stop _staring_ at him?

"He looks a little young to be a mutant," the man said in a gruff, deep voice. Kitty had called him Wolverine.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "I agree with Logan," she said with a Southern accent. "How old is he?"

"Twelve," Kitty answered for him. "His name's Mokuba."

Wolverine shook the paper he was holding, returning his gaze to it. "I thought Charles was bringing back someone older."

"He was," Mokuba spoke up. "He's my brother… and he disappeared. I dunno what happened to him."

"Maybe Cerebro can find him," Kitty suggested. The girl named Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think the professor has tried that already?"

"Maybe he can try again!"

"Um, excuse me," Mokuba interrupted as politely as he could. He didn't want to be in the middle of a fight on his first day here. "But what's Cerebro?"

Wolverine sighed. "Cerebro is a mutant-tracking system. It requires a telepath to use. It's how we found all the mutants in this house. Kitty, why don't you and Rogue show him around the Institute?" Mokuba got the distinct feeling that he was just trying to get rid of the two girls.

"What?!" Rogue squeaked, about to protest. Wolverine shot her a look, and she gave in, standing up. She shot a discouraging look at Mokuba, who gave her a sweet smile. _Oh great_, he thought. _Someone already hates me._

"C'mon, Rogue," Kitty said, grabbing the other girl's hand. Mokuba noticed the Southern belle was wearing black gloves, and he faintly wondered why. "Let's go find the others."

No sooner had the door swung shut behind them did they run into a tall lady with white hair in a poofy ponytail, brown skin, and blue eyes. "Oh, hello Storm," Kitty greeted.

"Hello, Kitty, Rogue. Who's this?" She spoke with a strange accent, and her words had a slight lilt and clip to them.

"Mokuba," the ravenet said, introducing himself. "You sound… Egyptian."

The woman chuckled. "You are smart. Yes, I am from Egypt. You can call me Storm."

Mokuba titled his head. "Does everyone get a codename?"

Storm smiled in a motherly way. "Yes, and a costume." He grinned, his face glowing.

"Cool!"

Storm looked at Kitty and Rogue. "Well, I was looking for Evan. Have you seen him?"

"No, but if we do, we'll tell him you're looking for him," Kitty offered. Storm nodded and walked past them into the kitchen. The trio continued around the Institute.

"So what can _you_ do, Rogue?" Mokuba asked.

"It's not very fun, I can tell you that," the girl told him. "If I touch you, skin on skin, I will absorb your memories, your thoughts, and your powers." She took off a glove and showed him her hand for emphasis.

"So, like, mimicry," Mokuba concluded. Rogue shrugged. "So, what does Storm do?"

Kitty beamed. "Pretty much what her codename implies. She can control the weather."

"That's wicked!"

"So what about you?" Rogue asked him. Mokuba noticed that the longer they talked, the more she warmed up. At least she didn't hate him!

"I don't really know…" Mokuba said. "It's kinda strange–"

They were about to exit the Institute when there was a _bamf_ sound, and a blue mass appeared in front of them. Mokuba shouted in surprise and jumped back, only to lose his footing and land on his butt.

"Kurt!" Kitty scolded. The two girls were glaring at what could only be described as a demon. He had blue fur and a long tail. His gloved hands only had three digits instead of five, and his legs were like the hind legs of a four-legged animal. His yellow eyes seemed to glow underneath dark blue hair.

"Oh, sorry, Kitty," the being apologized in a German accent. "But I heard from Scott that there was a new recruit."

Mokuba's heart was pumping hard and fast. _This_ was a boy? He sure sounded like one…

"Well, if you're gonna greet him," Rogue chastised, "then at least put on a human face. You scared the poor kid."

The mutant looked hurt by this. "But people _love_ the furry dude!" He seemed to finally take notice of the twelve-year-old on the floor. "Sorry, little dude." He pushed something on a watch he was wearing, and his image flickered into a human form. Now he looked like any other teenager…

Mokuba shook his head quickly. This guy seemed friendly. He wasn't going to judge by appearances. "No, it's okay, you just surprised me…" He accepted the hand that the other boy reached out.

"You can call me Kurt," the guy said. "Or Nightcrawler, I answer to either one."

"I'm Mokuba," the ravenet replied. "That's a cool codename!"

"Thanks!" Kurt seemed happy by this. "Do you have one yet?" Mokuba shook his head. "So I guess this means you don't have a costume yet." Mokuba shook his head again. Kurt grinned. "I wonder if the professor will let me design your costume!"

"Since when does he let us design costumes?" Rogue reminded him.

"Hey, we never asked him before!" Kurt pointed out. "I'm going to go ask him."

"Wait," Rogue interrupted, "take me too. _Someone_ has to make sure you don't screw it up."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!" he pouted. Nevertheless, he grabbed Rogue's gloved hand, and they both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kitty laughed. "Hoo boy, can't wait to see what _that_ looks like!" Mokuba couldn't help but giggle too. She pushed the glass door open and led him outside. It was a little chilly with the onset of winter, but the sun was still warm. Outside, a few kids were playing Frisbee. One of them turned into a wolf to catch the plastic disc. Kitty scanned the yard, looking for someone.

A guy on a skateboard nearly ran them over. He skidded to a stop. "Oops, sorry Kitty, didn't see you there." The boy was wearing a white tank top and cargo shorts despite the slight chill, along with a helmet and pads. His skin was the same shade as Storm's, and he had short blond hair and dark eyes.

Kitty frowned at him, debating on whether to yell at him or not. She decided against it, and said instead, "Storm was looking for you, Spyke."

"Auntie O?" the boy asked. "Why?"

Kitty shrugged. "I dunno, but she is. You'd better go inside."

The boy just noticed Mokuba. "Who's that? Another new recruit?"

"Yup! His name's Mokuba."

"He looks younger than Multiple!" As if on cue, one of the boys playing Frisbee tripped and fell, causing duplicates of him to jump out.

"He's twelve."

"Well, I better go see what Auntie O wants. See ya," the guy referenced as Spyke said, giving a wave and heading inside.

"Let's head down to the Frisbee game," Kitty suggested. "I think there's just them left to introduce you to."

"Sounds good," Mokuba agreed. They headed down the steps to the game. One of the guys, a blond dude, went to catch the Frisbee, but suddenly he rocketed away in the direction he was running, crashing into a tree and knocking it down.

A deep voice laughed. "Cannonball, you need to learn restraint." Mokuba saw a light blue, ape-like creature go over to help the blond up.

"That's Beast," Kitty told Mokuba. "Or, rather, Mr. McCoy. He's one of our teachers. Hey, Mr. McCoy!" she called. The referenced mutant turned and smiled at Kitty.

"Oh, hello, Kitty! Care to join us for some Frisbee?" he offered.

Kitty shook her head. "Can't, I'm showing Mokuba around the Institute." Mr. McCoy strode over to them, and the younger mutants continued their Frisbee game.

"Hello, Mokuba," he said. "Charles told me you were coming."

Mokuba bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. McCoy."

"Incoming!" one of the boys shouted in warning. They turned to see the Frisbee coming their way. Mokuba couldn't resist jumping up and catching it. He grinned.

"You guys know how to play Frisbee 500?" he asked, running off to go play. Mr. McCoy chuckled.

"Seems like I'll be watching him for the moment," he said. "I guess this means you can go, Kitty."

"Sure, Mr. McCoy, I got homework to do anyway," she replied, turning to head back up to the Institute. "Bye, Mokuba!" she called.

Mokuba paused momentarily to look back and wave before returning his attention to the game to throw the Frisbee over the heads of the other mutants.

* * *

Kaiba cradled his head in his hands, thankful for the plaguing darkness. His head pounded relentlessly. It had ached as soon as he had woken up from his dream, the contents of which were already leaking from his memory. So when the light flicked on again, he groaned.

"Would you like some ibuprofen?" he heard Magneto say. He looked up to see Magneto in full costume, complete with his red helmet. Kaiba couldn't ever remember seeing Magneto dressed like this, but it was like déjà vu.

"I'll be fine," Kaiba snapped. He stood up to face his new mentor.

"I guess this means you're ready to start training, then," Magneto said pleasantly. Kaiba nodded. "Good. You can follow me to the training room. Ah, but first, you should get in costume."

"Costume?" Kaiba looked incredulously at Magneto. "You're joking."

Magneto chortled a bit. "It won't be as extravagant as mine, don't worry. I think you'll find it suitable to your tastes. I'll come back when you've changed." The old man then retreated out the door, closing it with a click.

Kaiba frowned and went over to a dresser in the corner. It was a rather small room, serving only as sleeping quarters, and not much more. Everything seemed to be made of metal, too. There wasn't much in there, just a cot-like bed, a dresser, and two doors. One door – the door Magneto exited through – was locked from the outside. The other one was on the adjoining wall, and led to a bathroom.

Kaiba opened the top drawer to find a white box. He took it out and carried it over to the bed, setting it down and lifting the top off. In it was a costume that seemed mostly black. He rolled his eyes, lifting it up. "At least it's not extravagant," he agreed.

* * *

**Okay, I know you want to know how Jou and Chiyoko are doing, but that'll wait. I'll get to it in time. This chapter was mainly focusing on Mokuba's introduction into the Xavier Institute. Seems like he's starting off fine. ^.^**

**I drew Mokuba's and Kaiba's costumes, if you want to see what they look like before I describe them. They're on my DeviantArt account, the link of which is on my profile page. They're a little bit of a spoiler, but they're there. But if you really really don't like spoilers, even the slightest one, then don't look at it. Though, you probably won't be able to catch the spoiler anyway ^.^;;**

**Anyways, don't forget to review! Cheers!  
**


	10. Training

"_An angelface smiles to me  
Under a headline of tragedy.  
That smile used to give me warmth.  
Farewell - no words to say  
beside the cross on your grave  
and those forever burning candles.  
Needed elsewhere  
to remind us of the shortness of our time.  
Tears laid for them  
Tears of love, tears of fear  
Bury my dreams, dig up my sorrows .  
Oh, Lord why  
the angels fall first"_ ~ "Angels Fall First" Nightwish

* * *

Kaiba frowned, pulling at his white gloves.

"Stop fussing," Magneto said gently. "You look fine."

Kaiba was in an almost completely black outfit. He had black shoes and pants similar to his Battle City outfit. His black shirt was long sleeved with a thick, blue stripe down the middle. The sides of the stripe bend in slightly. The neck of the shirt was concealed by a floor-length black cape that clasped under his throat with a gold button with a spiral engraved on it. He wore a white belt with a pale blue buckle. Dark blue metal was strapped to his elbows like those of a suit of armor. These had short spikes on the outside, so that if he slammed his elbow into anyone, they'd be slightly impaled, too. And, of course, he had white, wrist-length gloves.

"Tell me again why I have to wear a costume?"

"Kaiba, Kaiba, Kaiba…" Magneto said. "Haven't you ever wanted to be a superhero?"

The young man shrugged.

Magneto sighed. "Just do it…"

"I suppose you want me to pick a codename, too," Kaiba drawled, looking scornfully at his new mentor.

"Yes, but for different reasons. The codename is to protect your identity."

"I'll get back to you on that."

"Take your time." They had been walking down a long corridor made completely of metal and lit by lights on the floor. Magneto stopped in front of a door in the side, and it swung open at his mental push. The room was wide and seemingly barren and empty. Kaiba suspected the room had hidden machines that could attack you, but he didn't question. It would make itself known in good time.

Magneto walked into the center of the room, and Kaiba trailed behind him. The old man turned to face his student and said, "This is where most of your training will take place. To start off, we need to get your mental stamina up." Kaiba nodded, agreeing.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Simple, really," Magneto said. "To get your stamina up, you simply need to practice summoning illusions. You won't be able to practice the personal ones one me," he added, tapping his red helmet. "My helmet protects me from psychic attacks. But you should try summoning a group illusion."

_Like I did the other day in class…_ "All right," he agreed. He held out his hand in front of him, palm up, and closed his eyes in concentration. He figured the easiest thing to create would be something small and something he knew every detail of. His first thought would be Mokuba, but the little boy was actually too big. But… his Blue Eyes White Dragon could be that small. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he sent his intent from his mind and imagined it traveling down his arm to his palm. When he snapped his eyes open, they were glowing, and a miniature Blue Eyes faded into view.

He felt the effects of this almost immediately, but fought to keep his beloved dragon in his hand. It was making little chirruping noises, and moving in little circles to get a look at its surroundings. He knew somehow that subconsciously, he was controlling every wild, instinctual move the illusion was making. But he was feeling faint all ready, and it had only been a few seconds. The edges of his vision prickled with gray. His breathing came short. His legs could barely hold him up…

"That's enough, Kaiba," he heard Magneto snap harshly. With a gasp, Kaiba clenched his hand quickly into a fist, dispelling the illusion. Sweat dampened the roots of his hair, and his knees buckled, forcing Magneto to have to hold him up. "Maybe that was the wrong type of lesson," the old mutant sighed. "Sorry, Kaiba, but I'm going to have to cut this lesson short. We'll train again tomorrow."

Kaiba didn't have the energy to agree or disagree.

* * *

"Alright, Mokuba," Mr. McCoy said to the little boy sitting in front of him, "This lesson's focus is to discover what it is you can do, exactly. Normally, someone else would do this, but I'm capable, too."

Mokuba swung his legs in front of him. The chair he was sitting on didn't let his feet reach the floor. "That's fine, Mr. McCoy," he said with a smile. "I like you. I'd love to learn from you." _God, I'm such a suck-up,_ he thought to himself. But it cheered him up to see Beast's face brighten.

"Before we head to any desired location, we need to pinpoint what exactly happened that made Cerebro pick you up," Mr. McCoy continued. "So what happened that made you realize you had abilities?"

Mokuba thought back to the night Jean and Scott picked him up. "Well, I was clutching a metal ball really hard, 'cause I was angry, and then it suddenly turned soft, like I had taken away its hardness."

"In that case, we'll go outside," the teacher said. "We can test your abilities."

"Okay!" agreed Mokuba. The two mutants headed outside, this time to the backyard. It was after dinner, and it was already pretty dark, seeing as the sun sets early in winter. Beast led the new recruit to a small clearing and handed the boy a little rock.

"Do you think you could make the stone soft, too?" he asked.

"I could try," Mokuba told him, accepting the rock. The ravenet clenched the stone hard, like he had done with the metal ball. Its edges were biting into his palm. It kind of hurt, so he willed it to soften. A few seconds after sending mental signals to the rock, he felt it crumple in his hand. He opened his fist again, and Mr. McCoy let out a small gasp.

The rock was as soft as a foam ball, and when Mr. McCoy poked it with a finger, the resulting indent slowly inflated. "Amazing," he breathed. He then reached down and plucked a particularly long blade of grass. "Maybe you could do something similar to the grass. Like, make it harder."

Mokuba shrugged and took the blade of grass from Beast. He stretched it out with his fingers, careful not to break it. Sighing, he imagined the grass crystallizing, hardening like ice. When he held the grass up, pinched between two fingers, it did not curl. Indeed, it was hard and straight.

"I think we can pinpoint your abilities," Mr. McCoy said, grinning. "It seems you can control the hardness of objects. Right now, you have to be touching the object, but I wonder if through training you could do it without physical contact…"

Mokuba could almost feel the joy emanating from his teacher as the ape-like mutant mulled over the scientific possibilities. He could tell that Mr. McCoy really liked science…

Mokuba's eyelids started to droop. "Ah, you must be tired," Beast said. "Maybe you should sleep now, and get well rested for your first day tomorrow." Mokuba nodded wearily, and the two of them headed back up to the main building.

"So, you start school tomorrow," Beast said, trying to make small talk.

"Yeah," Mokuba said. "I'm… a little nervous."

Mr. McCoy laughed. "It would be strange if you weren't. Everyone there is going to be older than you."

"You can say that again."

The elder mutant smiled at him. "You'll be fine. You should be sharing classes with some of the other mutants here, like Kitty."

"Thanks, Mr. McCoy." Mokuba could tell the man felt kind of sorry for him. He couldn't judge if the words were empty or not, but he accepted them, if only to make Beast happy.

"Well, good night, Mokuba. And think of a codename," Mr. McCoy offered. They were in front of Mokuba's room now.

"I'll sleep on it," the ravenet told him. "Good night." Mokuba opened the door and immediately crawled under the pale blue sheets and closed his eyes.

And sleep he did, but it wasn't as pleasant as he would have wished.

Mokuba wasn't immune to nightmares. Nay, he had plenty. And they got worse when his big brother was away. Tonight was no exception.

His dream actually started off bright and colorful. He was back in Domino City, holding someone's hand. He looked up and saw Seto, who in turn glanced down and smiled warmly. Mokuba wanted to hug him hard, but suddenly everything darkened and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before he knew it, Seto's hand was gone from his small one.

He looked around frantically. Where did he go? Where did his big brother go? And now it was suddenly so dark… He was scared. He couldn't see anything, hear anything. Mokuba squinted as a bright light shone in the darkness, as if from far away. He started at it, and it grew brighter and closer, brighter and closer, until he could see there was a silhouette of a woman.

He knew who she was. He'd seen pictures of her before he and Seto had gone to the orphanage.

"_Mokuba,_" she said with a smile. Her honey hair floated around her as if she was underwater. Her soft skin seemed to glow. Her blue eyes twinkled at him like two sapphire stars. Mokuba reached out a hand towards her, and she started to laugh.

It wasn't a kind laugh. It didn't tinkle with the sound of a thousand silver bells, like he imagined it might have. It was harsh and cruel and cold and flat. He quickly withdrew his hand. Her skin turned blue, and her hair a coarse red. Her blue eyes changed into a glowing yellow. She continued to laugh at him.

"Monster!" Mokuba screamed. "Monster! Give me my brother!"

She laughed and laughed and laughed, and another laugh joined her, a deep and booming one that could only belong to a grown man. There was a flash of red color, and Mokuba woke up.

He came to with a fight, struggling against hands. He screamed and shouted until he realized that he wasn't dreaming anymore. He stopped struggling, breathing heavily. With wide eyes he looked up at Professor X, Storm, Wolverine, and Beast crowded around his bed, all with looks of pity and worry. Mokuba could see Scott, Jean, Nightcrawler and Kitty at the now-open door.

"Mokuba, it's all right," Storm said, stroking his forehead.

"You were screaming in your sleep," the professor told him. Xavier was looking at Mokuba with suspicious eyes. "Are you okay? Do you want to tell me anything?"

Mokuba didn't know why, but he felt angry. He wanted to punch something. He balled his hands into fists, but resisted the urge. "Just–just go away!" he yelled.

"Mokuba…" Storm uttered, a little shocked. She pulled away slightly.

He couldn't help it. He burst into tears. He latched onto the nearest person – which just so happened to be Wolverine – and sobbed into his shoulder. He didn't want to cry. He mentally chastised himself, telling him to be strong. But that didn't help. It was a full blown sobfest, complete with wailing and snot and a waterfall of tears. And it was not going to stop soon.

"I want my brother baaaaaack!" he yowled, his voice hoarse. "I need him back!!!!"

Unsure and awkward, Wolverine rubbed the small boy's back with a massive hand. He looked at the professor.

"Charles…" he said. "We gotta do something. If this is every night…"

The professor nodded, knowing what Wolverine was getting at. He sighed. "Yes, I'll get right on it…"

* * *

Back at the door, Kitty leaned against the frame. "Poor guy," she said mournfully. "He's just a kid."

"Yeah," Nightcrawler agreed. "I wish we could do something."

"There's nothing at the moment," Jean said, turning away from the scene. "We should go back to bed."

They headed back into the hall only to see Rogue there. "What's goin' on?" she asked. "It sounds like someone let a banshee into the house."

"The new kid, Mokuba…" Kitty started.

"He had a nightmare," Jean completed. "I–I'm sure he'll be fine in the morning."

It didn't sound very convincing over Mokuba's howls.

"Yeah, right," Rogue said, obviously not believing her. "He sounds _just_ fine and dandy."

"Man," Nightcrawler said, "he sounds like he could use some love…"

"Well, honestly, he _did_ lose his only family member," Scott pointed out. "Combine that with the stress of new people, new home, new school, and new abilities… well, I'd be surprised if he _didn't_ have a nightmare."

Kitty declared, "Well, tomorrow, we'll be his best friends!"

Rogue crossed her arms. "All right, but if this continues, I'm going in there and knocking him out." She wiggled her fingers, confirming any suspicions of what she meant by that.

"I think the professor has that covered," Nightcrawler said, peeking back into the room. They had lain Mokuba back down, and the professor was touching his forehead. The boy's breathing was still irregular from the sobs, but Xavier slowly put him back to sleep, hopefully in a dreamless state.

Beast poked his head out the door. "All right, young students," he ordered. "Back to bed for all of you. You have school tomorrow, and you should get a good night's rest."

* * *

**Phew, I'm just cranking out chapter after chapter! I hope you enjoyed this little influx of chapters. Sorry I didn't update any other story, heh heh heh... ^^;;**

**Anyways, sorry if any of the X-Men are OOC. I tried, I really did...**

**Tell me what you thought nonetheless. Your reviews are greatly appreciated.  
**


	11. First Day

_But our love it was stronger by far than the love  
Of those who were older than we-  
Of many far wiser than we-  
And neither the angels in heaven above,  
Nor the demons down under the sea,  
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul  
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee._ ~Excerpt from "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe

* * *

For once, his mind gave him a pleasant dream. Maybe it was the fatigue that shut off the Nightmare-giving section of his brain. Maybe his brain thought he could use a nice break. So, Seto Kaiba had a pleasant dream.

The dream, it felt so real to him. He imagined he could feel everything, smell everything, and even taste everything if he wanted to. Simply _dreaming_ the dream meant happiness. There was no other dream he would have preferred.

So, you may be asking, "what is this dream that is so awesome for him?" What do you think? There's only one answer for that.

Mokuba.

"Okay," you might be saying. "That's great. I know he misses Mokuba and all. What's the dream about?"

His dream was about spending the day with Mokuba. No interruptions. No Yugi and his friends. No business to take care of. Just a day with Mokuba in a theme park. No, not Kaibaland. If he was in Kaibaland, it would be work. He was in a random theme park, one that his brain thought up for the sake of the dream. The lines weren't very long, and the rides were thrilling. But what thrilled Kaiba the most was the joyful expression on his little brother's face. Nothing pleased him more than Mokuba's happiness. The dream was filled with the sound of his laughter, the sight of his smile, the feel of his skin, the smell of his hair, and the taste of funnel cakes.

And so, when Kaiba woke up, he was feeling even more miserable than before.

* * *

Kaiba didn't realize how hungry he was until he smelled the food upon waking. His stomach rumbled when he realized there were Belgian waffles, a mug of steaming coffee, and succulent strawberries waiting for him on a tray on one of those TV dinner tables. This small table was metal, of course, like everything else. He was starving, weak with hunger. When was the last time he had eaten? It seemed like ages ago.

Even so, he didn't immediately wolf down the waffles. He pushed himself into a sitting position, his bed being a makeshift chair. There was a delicious coating of powdered sugar on the waffles. Kaiba smirked. Magneto was treating him. He was willing to bet the meals after this wouldn't be as… well, good. He picked up a strawberry and crushed it between his teeth, letting the fruit's juices explode in his mouth. The rest of the strawberries met a similar fate. And, after a few sips of hot coffee (black, no sugar or cream), he picked up the plastic knife and fork resting on the tray and ate the waffles. He usually didn't indulge in such breakfasts, but he was _famished_.

After his breakfast, he went into the little bathroom and took a shower. He was oh-so-glad to feel the dirt and grim from the past day or so slide off his skin and wash down the drain. And when he came out, the tray and folding table were gone. Instead, a nice little note was on the bed. It was obviously written by Magneto, telling him to get dressed and be ready to start training again.

And so, finding himself back in his costume, he waited for Magneto to come and fetch him.

Kaiba pondered his predicament. How long was this going to go on for? And what did Magneto have in store for him? He didn't know, and he didn't like not knowing. But he could sense that the older mutant had an ulterior motive. What it was, he hadn't the slightest idea. He could only wait and observe for now, and draw conclusions later.

He decided Magneto must be watching him, though, for soon enough the old mutant came for him. How else would Magneto always time his entrances so perfectly? The door swung open without being physically touched, and the old man was waiting for him, all garbed in red. Magneto smiled warmly.

"Have a good night's rest, I hope?" he asked. Kaiba shrugged. "Well, it certainly seemed to be good. You look well-rested." Kaiba just shrugged again, not saying anything. "Yes, well, come, come. I've got a new plan for training you."

Magneto led the teen mutant back to the room from before. However, the large empty room now had an occupant. A tall, bulky man with long dirty blond hair and an almost feline look about him waited there. He wasn't quite as tall as Kaiba, being dwarfed by just a few inches, but his mass made up the difference. He made the teen feel like a toothpick.

"Kaiba, this is Sabretooth," Magneto introduced. "You'll be fighting him today."

Kaiba stared incredulously at the older mutant. "You're joking." Magneto shook his helmeted head and smiled knowingly.

"Dearest Kaiba," he said somewhat mockingly, "don't you trust me?"

There it was. The question. Said in a sarcastic tone, but nonetheless a serious one. Kaiba tensed, looking into the old man's narrow eyes. Did he trust Magneto? He didn't know himself. He didn't know anything about this red-garbed man – not his motives, not anything. But who else was there, in this strange mutant underground world, to teach him to control his powers, so that he wouldn't hurt anyone on accident? Kaiba felt stretched in opposite directions. If Gozaburo had taught him anything, it was that if you don't know anything about a person, suspect them at all times – you don't know how they think; they could be planning against you at any minute.

But what had Magneto done so far but be helpful? So far, according to Kaiba's calculating and dissecting observations, Magneto has made no action that would make him suspect the older mutant. Magneto has given him no reason to be apprehensive and cautious. So he turned to his new mentor and said:

"It seems that I have no choice but to say yes."

* * *

Mokuba wrung his hands nervously together, resisting the urge to pull at his hair as he stepped out of the car to face his new school for the first time. He was wearing one of those shirts that looks like a white long-sleeved shirt under a red tee-shirt, but was actually one shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, and a long fashionable pale blue scarf. It felt strange, going to school in casual clothes. He felt like he had donned the wrong thing, like he had donned the wrong _skin_.

Jean put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Mokuba," she encouraged. "You'll be fine. Besides, we'll be here if you need us. C'mon, I'll show you do the main office to get your schedule." She steered him inside as he nervously shifted his backpack on his shoulders. He was led to an office at which two secretaries sat behind two separate desks. Jean guided him to the secretary who had thick grayish-blonde hair swept away from her peachy face and dark eyes a little too close together, but that looked okay on her face. Her nameplate read H. Cooke.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Jean answered. "This is Mokuba Kaiba. The new student?"

The secretary – Mrs. Cooke – peered at Mokuba curiously. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "He's quite young," she noted. He wanted to shout at her. _Duh! Didn't they tell you _anything_?_

Jean smiled civilly, but Mokuba could tell she was a little annoyed by the secretary's obviousness. The muscles around her eyes were tensed. "Yes, Professor Xavier told you about him. He's from Japan, Mrs. Cooke."

"Oh yes," said the secretary, nodding her head. "I remember now. The Japanese twelve year old. I heard the Asians are more advanced in math and other subjects." She looked at Mokuba, as if for confirmation.

"Yes," he answered. "I… I guess that's right. I have heard we score higher on national tests."

Mrs. Cooke nodded again, clicked the mouse of her computer a couple times, and turned her gaze to Mokuba again. "I have you in Geometry Honors, English 1 regular, Chemistry regular, Western Civilization, and the freshman P.E. I've been told you do not need extra English lessons?"

"That is correct," Mokuba verified. "Ma'am," he added.

"Okay. You have two slots left in your schedule. Do you have any interest in a music class or foreign language?" He shook his head. He'd never learned to play any instrument. He knew his big brother could play the piano, but that's all he knew of. And he was fine with foreign language. Seto had taught him a little of French and German, and he had no desire to learn Spanish. "All right. You're not allowed to have more than one study hall, so here, look through the directory and choose a class or two you want to take."

Mokuba took a flimsy booklet from her and started leafing through it to look at electives. Jean peered over his shoulder. She stopped him and pointed to something on the page. "Look," she said. "Kitty's in that class. Why don't you take that?" It was a jewelry/metal-crafting class. Mokuba grinned. What with his new-found mutant powers, it seemed like a good match for him.

"Okay," he said. He flipped through the booklet a little more to find the computer classes. "I'll take a computer class too. Um… how about Computer Programming?" Jean smiled warmly.

"That sounds good." They went to Mrs. Cooke and told her what he wanted to take. Mrs. Cooke clicked her computer mouse a couple times, pushed her rolling chair to the printer behind her, lifted up a sheet of paper, and rolled back. She handed the still-warm sheet to Mokuba.

"Okay, Mokuba, there's your schedule. Jean can help you find your first class. Jean, I'll write you a late slip."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooke."

"No problem, hun."

A few minutes later, Jean and Mokuba walked out of the class room and headed down a deserted hallway that just ten, twenty minutes ago was chock full of children. They strolled in silence before Jean said, "Well, I know it's soon, but how do you like it so far?"

Mokuba shrugged. "It _is_ soon, but it all seems so casual. I half-expect everyone to call the teachers by their first names."

Jean laughed. "You might come across a teacher or two who actually does that. But believe it or not, we Americans do have _some_ morals and manners!"

Mokuba couldn't help but chuckle, and Jean joined in. "You know," she added, "your happiness is very infectious."

"Heh." He shrugged. What do you reply to a statement like that? "Thanks, I guess."

"That's a good thing," she told him. "It means that people like being around you." He got the feeling that she was being very careful not to mention his brother.

"Yeah, I guess that means I'm good for my big brother." Better break the ice now. Jean smiled a little warily this time.

"Well, here's your classroom. Geometry. Good luck!" With that, the red-head gave a little wave and headed off down the hallway to her own class. Mokuba took a deep, calming breath and stepped through the door.

* * *

Yugi entered the hospital cautiously, suddenly unsure of himself. Jounouchi had told him a while ago that his cousin had been hospitalized, but only now he was actually joining his friend in the room. He walked nervously up to the nurses at the front desk.

"Um, excuse me," he said shyly. "My friend's cousin is in this hospital. She's Chiyoko."

The nurse smiled at him warmly and looked at a sheet of paper. "Well, it looks like she's in room 308. It's not hard to find, it's right next to the elevators on the third floor."

"_Arigato_," Yugi said, bowing before heading for the elevator doors.

"He's so cute," the nurse whispered to her co-worker.

"I know!" replied the co-worker. "I think they call him the King of Games."

Yugi quickly rode the escalator and found Chiyoko's room. He could see Jounouchi sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair through the large hospital windows. He pushed open the doors, and Jou looked up. Jou's face was somber and serious. It was odd, not seeing either a spark of determination in his eyes or a grin on his welcoming face.

"Hey, Yugi," the blond greeted. Yugi found another chair and pulled it up next to his friend.

"Hey. You doing okay?" Jou nodded. "So this is Chiyoko, huh? I've never seen her, and you never talked about her much."

"Yeah," Jou said in a small voice, looking down at his hands in his lap. "She doesn't like being in Japan much. And she's a little… odd. But she's still my cousin. And the doctor says that if she doesn't come out of her coma by the end of the week, she might never wake up."

"Yeah, family is family," Yugi replied. He gazed at the motionless form on the bed. Chiyoko really was pretty, in a punk/goth sort of way, with her purposely-messy, dyed white-blonde hair, heavily outlined eyes, and pale face. Yugi secretly wondered if she was a mutant too, like those two people Jean and Scott who had asked him about Kaiba. By the way… "Jou, random question. You haven't seen Kaiba recently, have you?"

Jou stiffened. "Y-yeah, actually. If by recently you mean after he ran out of the classroom. He… he was talking with some old dude in a trench coat."

Yugi frowned. "A stranger? Where was this? Maybe it was a business associate."

The blond shook his head quickly. "Oh, it definitely wasn't. For one, they were meeting on the sidewalk, near that weird trinket store called _Wiccan Wares_. For two… you have no idea how weird he was. I mean, he could move metal without touching it."

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean… he was like, telekinetic?"

"Yeah, but more like, could only move metal stuff. He called himself Magneto."

"That means… he was a mutant?"

Jou looked at Yugi, his eyes wide. "Huh? You know about the mutant stuff?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "You too, huh? I… I think I know what's going on." It was all starting to come together. He got this feeling whenever he was close to solving a puzzle. It was the sensation that everything was falling into place smoothly, like a jigsaw puzzle being put neatly together. "I think… that Kaiba is a mutant, as is that stranger. I think that man has bad intentions. There were other people looking for Kaiba, you know."

Jou pondered that. "I know. A red-head and a brunet."

"Yeah. I think they're the good guys, and they missed Kaiba."

The blond pressed his hands to his head. "What are we going to do? As much as I hate the guy, I can't stand anyone being hurt." He looked mournfully at Chiyoko as he said that.

"I'd say we contact the good guys," Yugi said. "But I have no idea how to do that."

"Maybe Chiyoko would know," Jou suggested, his voice flat and heavy. "Yugi, she's a mutant too."

"Ah…" Yugi sighed. "I guess we have to wait for her to wake up, then."

* * *

"Ah, you must be Mokuba, come in, come in," said the math teacher warmly. He was a man of about fifty, with a short beard around his mouth and graying dark hair. His eyes were kind behind his glasses, and a ready smile played on his lips. He was dressed somewhat professionally, with nice pants and a collared shirt complete with a goofy tie. Today, his tie had a giant snowman waving with a mitten on a stick arm. "I'm Mr. Doebert. Why don't you introduce yourself before sitting down?"

_Crap, public speaking_, thought Mokuba. He scanned the students quickly, looking for a familiar face and finding none. Not even that guy Spyke. "Um… my name is Mokuba Kaiba. I originally came from Domino, Japan, near Tokyo, but I moved into the Xavier Institute."

"Hey, you're Seto Kaiba's little brother!" a student at the back called. "That young CEO!"

Some girls giggled. One of them said, "Oh my gosh, that totally hot one?"

Mokuba felt his face heat up. He stands there in front of the classroom, and all they think about is his brother? He loved his brother, but he was now being blatantly ignored.

"He's so young," said another girl. "Are you sure he's supposed to be in _our _class?"

The teacher suddenly stood up, slamming his hands on his desk. "Hey!" he nearly shouted. His class jumped in unison and stared at him incredulously. He never shouted at them. Never. Mokuba could sense their shock. It was written all over their faces. "Your fellow student is speaking up at the front of the classroom, and you are showing him the utmost disrespect." He paused, and the class was deadly silent. "Please continue, Mokuba," he said, sitting back down and leaning back into his chair.

"As you noticed," Mokuba began warily, "I'm a lot younger than all you guys. But don't worry, I'm smart too. Maybe not as smart as my brother, but I'm getting there." He added a grin, trying to fight down sudden hostile urges. He felt like punching the nearest guy in the face. He's never felt that before… Mr. Doebert pointed him to a seat in the back, and he quickly strode to it and sat down.

The girl in the seat next to him looked at him and smiled. She had a friendly, round face with dark eyes and light brown hair. She wore thin-framed glasses, and her smile was genuine. "Hi," she greeted. "I'm Zoë. Zoë West. Nice to meet you." Mokuba couldn't help but smile back. His heart immediately lightened a little.

"Nice to meet you too."

"So you're from Japan? That's cool. I've always wanted to go to Japan, you know. I even took Japanese lessons."

Mokuba grinned at her. "You know, if you ever need help with your Japanese…"

Zoë giggled. "Thanks for the offer, even though I'll probably never take you up on it. Now pay attention to Mr. Doebert. He's the best teacher you'll ever meet."

* * *

Time passes in a blur…

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. It was now time for lunch, and all of the kids were streaming for the cafeteria. Mokuba felt that he could find the cafeteria – besides the gymnasium, it was the biggest room in the entire school, put smack-dab in the center of it for easy access. Usually on nice days, a lot of students sat outside and ate, but with the cool weather, nearly everyone was inside. Scott and Kurt waved at him from a table and he joined him. He massaged his temples a bit. He had a headache that had been steadily growing from first period.

"You okay?" Scott inquired.

"Yeah, just a headache," Mokuba reported. "It's probably just the stress from today."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kurt told him, grinning. "We all had to suffer the First Day at some point. Well, not Scott and Jean, but you know who I mean."

Mokuba let out a short laugh. "Yeah." Suddenly, he felt dizzy, and he pressed a hand to his temples, unable to hide a wince.

"Mokuba?" the voices sounded very distant, like they were at the end of a long train tunnel. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," he said, standing up. Bad idea. He wobbled, his legs unable to hold him well enough.

"Mokuba!"

He lost track of everything around him. It became a dull buzzing. He couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling. He wasn't confused… well, not just confused. A strange mixture of happiness, confusion, worry, resentment, sadness… and as the world faded away, he saw something that wasn't there.

His big brother. Seto Kaiba. A vision. He was not actually there. Mokuba could tell. But it still brought a sob before he passed out.

* * *

**Sorry it's so late. I worked quite hard on this chapter. **

**Hope you enjoyed it. Hope you remembered who Chiyoko was too.**

**By the way, Mr. Doebert is based (heavily) on a real life teacher of mine. He was my eighth grade science teacher... He was awesome... sadly, he passed away. But let's not get into my personal stories, huh? :)**

**Please don't forget to review!  
**


	12. The Trap Master

_Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment._  
**_Buddha _**

_Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life._  
**_William Faulkner_**

_You may delay, but time will not._  
**_Benjamin Franklin_**

_You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by._  
_**James M. Barrie**

* * *

_

Seto Kaiba slammed into the wall of the training room. Hard. The breath left his lungs in a single _whoosh_, and he slumped to the metal ground, panting and sweating. Sabretooth was not going easy on him, that's for sure. He pushed his bangs back away from his forehead (they fell back right after) and glared at the advancing mutant.

Sabretooth chuckled deeply and gruffly. "I thought you'd be more of a challenge, you know. The great Seto Kaiba. Where's all those fighting skills you displayed so long ago?" He barked a short laugh. "And you can't even use your powers right," he taunted.

Kaiba felt anger boil up inside of him. It was a dark, intense heat that radiated from his core and lit fire behind his eyes. He slowly stood up, leaning slightly against the wall. In a flash, Sabretooth had his hand at the CEO's throat. But Kaiba did not struggle as one might when his windpipe is closed. He glared straight into the other mutant's eyes, and felt power rumble up from deep inside. He couldn't breath, but he knew that wouldn't be a problem.

Suddenly, Sabretooth's eyes widened, and he staggered back, hand flying to his head. His wide eyes started wildly around as Kaiba hunched over, trying to catch his breath. Sabretooth screamed, and seconds later, two bright lights shone upon the two of them. Magneto's voice echoed throughout the cavernous room. "That is enough for today. You have fought long today, Kaiba, and well. Now, if you would, release Sabretooth from his hallucinations."

Kaiba blinked, his ears starting to ring. He'd never reversed it before. But maybe he could… He stepped over to Sabretooth and put a hand on the other mutant's arm. Closing his eyes, he imagined the dregs of illusion detaching from Sabretooth and running back towards him. Something hot popped behind his eyes, and he gasped, lurching away. He saw flashes of horrifying images, of monsters leaping out of shadows. And a man, of similar stature to Sabretooth, but with knives in his fists and dark hair, leaping towards him with astounding speeds, drawing his arm back and slashing a fatal blow. In a moment, it was over, and the two of them were both on the ground, collapsed and weak. But even though he felt like he couldn't move his muscles if his life depended on it, he noticed that he had hardly any headache.

* * *

Mokuba blearily opened his eyes. He blinked a couple times before the ceiling came into focus. His head ached still, but it wasn't so bad anymore. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, looking around the room. He was on a narrow bed in a room that looked like it belong to the school nurse's. It probably did, remembering what had just happened to him.

His stomach grumbled, and he blushed even though no one else was in the room. He didn't get to eat lunch after all. He sighed and wished he had some food. A few moments later, a lady bustled into the room. Her brown hair was cropped short, and her pale blue eyes were intense yet kind as she looked over Mokuba. She was wearing nice gray pants, and a black sweater over a white shirt.

"Are you the nurse?" Mokuba asked. "You don't look like one I would imagine."

The nurse grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment. My name is Ms. McCloud. You feeling okay?" He nodded, and she felt his forehead. "You seem fine. What a day, though! Fainting on the first day. Not the most appreciated welcome gift," she joked. Mokuba smiled hesitantly. "All right, you should be fine to go."

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Oh that's right! It's tenth period now, the last period of the day. It's just started. You can go to that class if you want."

"Sure." He took out his schedule and studied it. "Um… do you know where room 130 is?"

The nurse beamed again. "Ah, taking a craft shop? It's just down the hall. Go out the door and to your left until you see it." Mokuba nodded and thanked her before grabbing his backpack (which had been placed near the bed) and exiting the nurse's office.

Mokuba walked down the quiet hallway to his metal-working class. There was so much to think about! His brother, his mutant powers (he still had to think up a codename), and the new school and home. He still had no idea where Seto was. How could he be so hard to find? Maybe he'd ask Professor X to use Cerebro, whatever it really was, to try and track him.

And his powers… Mokuba didn't fully understand what was happening. It was all so very confusing. So because his genes were different, he could make hard objects soft and soft objects hard? And it wasn't just the concept of mutantness that was confounding him. He's been so buffeted by different emotions, he wasn't sure what to feel. Was he scared? Happy? Sad? He didn't know. He didn't know _why_ he didn't know. And he didn't like it. But nothing could be done about it, he supposed.

And the other mutants. They seemed really nice. Rogue seemed a little distant, but he guessed that she would warm up. But Kurt, or rather Nightcrawler, appeared to be really friendly, and funny. Kitty was nice, as was Jean and Scott. It felt like the adults were being… a bit overprotective. Perhaps because he was so young. But he could take care of himself!

Mokuba frowned. At least, he thought he could take care of himself.

Except… he'd always had his brother next to him, too.

* * *

Kaiba was lying on his bed – or cot, whatever you wanted to call it. He still felt exhausted, even though his training session had been over an hour ago. It took too much energy to lift his head, his hand, his finger. He couldn't even remember how he got back to his cell– I mean, his room. He thought he had lost consciousness, but it was as if he was too tired to sleep. So he lay there in darkness, sleeping but not sleeping, his eyes closed and his breathing deep. It was relaxing, to say the least.

Until, of course, Magneto entered and flicked on the lights.

Kaiba wearily turned his head and glared at the older mutant. "You did quite well, today, Kaiba," he said. "I thought you might have lost for a few moments there, but that trick at the end was perfect." The CEO grunted in reply. "Have you thought of a codename yet?"

"No," Kaiba said flatly. Did he have to?

Magneto smiled. It felt like poisoned honey to Kaiba. He took it back: he didn't trust this guy that much. "Here, I have a gift for you. I'm sure you've missed it." And the older mutant held out a small box. Kaiba recognized it right away and, despite his weariness, shot straight up.

"My deck!" he couldn't help but cry. Magneto chuckled as he snatched the deck up. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. It was a sense of familiarity in this unfamiliar world. He quickly opened the box and pulled out the cards, thumbing through them. And… was it there? Yes! The little crayon drawing of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Poorly drawn, yes, but also drawn by a very young child. That child being Mokuba, of course.

"You can also look through it for names," Magneto suggested. "But I'll just leave you with your sentimentality now." With a sweep of his ridiculous purple cape, he left.

Kaiba paused before placing the drawing under his pillow. Then he shuffled through his cards, looking for a codename while simultaneously reminiscing in the good feelings he got from his deck. Maybe he would do something related to dragons? How would he do that… none of the dragons in his deck had good titles for codenames. Perhaps Giant Germ, or Crush Virus? Nah, too… vile. He stopped when he reached a certain card, one he didn't use often and sometimes even took out of his deck before using.

He smirked.

Trap Master.

* * *

**A little short, but I haven't updated for a while, and I feel like that's a good ending for this chapter.**

**Sorry if the nurse thing was weird. I didn't know what to do with him. C: So yeah, sorry if that was awkward that he got let off after just waking up.**

**Hope you enjoyed anyway. Cheers! (and don't forget to review!)  
**


	13. Battle Simulation

_Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first._  
**_Mark Twain

* * *

_**

Kaiba ran through his deck a few more times, for the sake of sentimentality. After some minutes, he sighed and set his deck aside. He stared longingly at the ceiling. He hadn't seen the sun in… how long? He's gone longer, cooped up, but in those cases he had work on his hands. Now he was either idle or fighting and training. He was starting to miss the sunlight; the annoying birds that won't stop their pestering melody; the trees that sound like rain when the wind blows; the cars that streak by and leave the smell of exhaust behind…

He sat there, still, for a long time, staring at his hands.

* * *

When Mokuba entered the classroom, the students were already hard at work, sawing at sheet metal, bending copper wire into spirals, and hammering texture into pieces of metal. He stood there awkwardly for a moment until a short woman with dull black curls ambled over to him.

"Ah, hello," she said, brushing hair out of her face. "You must be the new student I was emailed about." She grinned. "Don't get a lot of boys in this class. I'm Mrs. Bradley. What is your name again?" It was odd, standing eye to eye to someone twenty, thirty years older than him…

"Oh… Ah, I'm–"

"Mokuba!" a voice called. Kitty broke away from her station and strode over to stand next to the teacher. "I didn't know you were gonna, like, take this class! It doesn't seem like something you'd be interested in, either." Mokuba merely shrugged.

"Well, I've never done anything like it," he said. The other students had noticed by this time that he was there, and were now whispering to their neighbors. Mokuba couldn't hear them, but he could guess what they were saying – "He's so young!" "Huh? Isn't that Seto Kaiba's younger brother?" "What's he doing here?" He continued, "It seemed like fun."

Mrs. Bradley nodded and smiled again. "Yes, well, let's get you started. Since you seem to know Kitty, she can help you. Today, we're starting to use the jeweler's saw to make cuff bracelets. Kitty, I'm sure you can show him the basics."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Bradley," Kitty replied. She grabbed Mokuba's arm and pulled him over to where she had been working before. She showed him the various tools they had learned how to use over the semester so far– the chainnose pliers, for making spirals; the roundnose pliers, also for spirals; the hammer, for, of course, hammering, but also for making textures; flatnose pliers, for making sharp corners and edges; and finally the jeweler's saw, a fragile thing for sheet metal. Kitty fetched him some sheet metal, and they set to work. "So you fainted today," she said quietly. "Any reason?"

Mokuba hesitated. "I dunno. Just a big headache, that's all. And maybe stood up too fast."

"So are you fine now?" He nodded. They continued working in silence for a while before she whispered, "So tell me; why did you really take this class?"

Mokuba grinned mischievously. "It's a perfect place for trying out my new power, isn't it? Well, okay, and Jean said you were in this class. It's easier if someone I know is in it."

Kitty stared at him, and then started to giggle. "It's not for the jewelry after all," she said, fighting to keep down her voice. "At least you're too young for all the girls here."

He struggled not to laugh, his face turning red. Finally, he said, "Thank god for that!"

They each couldn't hold it in, and they started laughing. And suddenly, the entire class was laughing, for no apparent reason. Only the teacher wasn't amused, as she was going around telling people to stop and go back to work. It was four long minutes before anyone could calm down, during which the teacher's temper grew worse and worse. When the laughter died down, Mrs. Bradley's face was red from anger, and she glared at Kitty and Mokuba, the first two to start the fit of guffawing.

"You two!" she snarled. "Detention after school. Now everyone, get back to your work!"

There was dead silence for a few moments. Mokuba clutched the pliers he was holding, suddenly fuming. Detention! He's never gotten detention before. How could she? Maybe he should show her the wrath of all that was the Kaiba family…

"Mokuba!" Kitty hissed. He jumped out of his reverie and looked at her. She motioned to his hand, and he glanced at it. Oops. The pliers were bent in an odd shape that couldn't have been done naturally. "Fix it," she whispered urgently.

"I don't know if I can!" he whispered back. "It's bent so oddly. It'll be like trying to straighten a paperclip you twisted out of shape."

"Well, do something! We can't let her see it like that, but if we take it, she'll know."

Mokuba pondered that for a moment. "Well, the worst she can do is make us buy a new one and give us another detention." He concentrated on the pliers again, clenching his fists around it. He felt it crumple into a ball, and he shoved it into his pocket. Kitty puffed out her cheeks and blew air out from between her lips.

"Alright, I guess it's too late now, but you take the blame for it, 'kay?"

"Of course."

* * *

An hour later, both Kitty and Mokuba were back at the Xavier Institute, returning from a long and boring detention with five other kids who looked, in one way or another, like everyday troublemakers. They had felt really out of place there, but had to suffer for 45 minutes until the detention supervisor said they could go.

When they got back to the Institute, they were greeted by Wolverine telling them to suit up and go to the Danger Room (Wolverine seemed almost disappointed in them for getting a detention, showing it by his sniff of disapproval when they walked in the door). Since Mokuba didn't have a suit yet – Rogue and Nightcrawler had only just begun, the costume still being on the drawing board – he was given the standard gold and black one.

The group of young mutants gathered around the entrance to the aptly-named Danger Room. Nightcrawler and Rogue weren't there, excusing themselves to work on Mokuba's costume. Replacing them was Mokuba and Bobby, aka Iceman. It was these two plus Shadowcat, Cyclops, Jean, and Spyke.

"Alright, guys," Jean announced in a debriefing. "This'll just be a fighting simulation, focusing on honing our powers rather than getting to a single point, or getting through a maze, or something like that. Let's go, and always remember your team work!"

The Danger Room door slid ominously nervous, and with a gulp, Mokuba followed the group inside. What greeted him was an enormous room, made of steal and domed at the top. Near the ceiling was a glass-encased control room, in which Professor X looked down on them all.

"Wow," Mokuba said. "I can almost imagine my brother building something like this." The other mutants glanced nervously at him. "You know, if it wasn't built with so many weapons." Jean and Cyclops exchanged looks as Xavier spoke over an intercom.

"Are you all ready? The simulation will begin now."

And suddenly the room transformed. Panels in the walls and floor slid open to reveal wicked weapons, ranging from guns that shot paintballs and clay discs to writhing scissor-blades on long necks. The machines immediately targeted the mutants, and they leaped into action.

One of the scissor-blade things shot straight for Mokuba. He jumped over it as it slammed into the ground where his feet had been and grabbed onto its neck. He moved to its head and, concentrating hard, quickly bent it out of shape. Another scissor-blade machine went for him, and he was forced to roll out of the way, only for the scissor-blade machine to be blasted with a red beam issued by Cyclops.

"Not bad for a beginner!" cried Iceman as he slid by on a ramp of ice. Iceman skillfully dodged clay discs and shot ice at one of the guns, freezing it so that it couldn't shoot anymore.

* * *

Up in the control room, Xavier oversaw the simulation, Wolverine standing next to him. They watched Mokuba for a while, before Wolverine started talking.

"He's doing well for his first time," he commented.

Professor X nodded. "Indeed." He paused, frowning.

"Hey Charles," Wolverine started. "Have you come anywhere close to finding that Seto Kaiba kid?"

"Sadly, no," replied the bald paraplegic, keeping his eye on the chaos below. "Cerebro won't pick up a trace of him. It's strange. It's like he's been wiped off the face of the planet."

"What on Earth could have happened to him?" Wolverine growled. "A boy can't just disappear. If he was dead, you'd find him, right?"

"Cerebro should pick him up if he was dead, yes," Professor X mused. "There is nothing to do now except keep trying until something happens." Several silent minutes passed. By the time Xavier spoke again, the simulation was out of weapons, thus concluding. But he said, "Mokuba Kaiba, that boy intrigues me."

Wolverine cast a long stare at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Xavier paused before answering, gathering his thoughts. "He shows resistance to telepathic… attempts on his mind."

"Yeah, and what does that do for us?"

"Well… it makes me think that he may be some form of telepath himself."

Wolverine frowned. "But he hasn't shown any ability to read minds, or anything."

"Yes, but he successfully kept Jean out of his mind for a long while."

"Maybe he just has some resistance to it all. Some people do."

"Perhaps you are right." Xavier sighed before pressing the intercom button. "Alright, you are all dismissed. That was an excellent training session. Now, it would be wise to go to your rooms and finish whatever homework you have. Good night."

* * *

**Wow, two updates in a row! I just had a semi-splurge of inspiration for this story. Hope you enjoyed! Cheers!**


	14. Spirits

_Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me._

_Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid of only standing still._

_He who is drowned is not troubled by the rain._

_When you have two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other._

**_Chinese proverbs

* * *

_**

Mokuba lay on his bed, tapping his math textbook with his mechanical pencil in silent frustration. Stupid math! Stupid word problems! Stupid Pythagorean Theorem! If Seto was here, he'd help him…

Mokuba sighed and rolled over onto his back. He was tired from the training session earlier. The rest of his homework was done except for the math… Well, he'd have to figure out something. The teachers expect him to do well, because he's Kaiba's little brother. So he had no excuses. Agh! If only he remembered how to do geometry! At least the Pythagorean Theorem unit was almost over. Granted, next they would be doing proofs, but he could do those. They're just simple logic problems…

_Mokuba_.

He jerked up on his bed. What was that?

_This is Professor X._

Oh.

_I'd like you to come see Cerebro. Wolverine will show you where it is._

Mokuba grumbled and shut his textbook shut, the pages slapping together. Guess he'd "forget" to do his math homework. He blew a strand of hair out of his face. If Xavier wanted to see him, he guessed it was more important than a teacher's wrath the next day. He jumped off the bed just as there was a knock at the door.

"I'm coming," he called. He rushed over to the door and tugged it open. Wolverine stood there, as grumpy-looking as always in his white T-shirt. Mokuba grinned. "So… Cerebro, huh?" Wolverine merely grunted, turned, and started walking down the hallway, forcing Mokuba to jog in order to keep up. They turned a few corners, went down a flight of stairs, and entered an elevator. This elevator dropped quickly down, the doors finally sliding open to reveal a massive room.

Mokuba couldn't help but gaze in awe. The room was mostly empty, like an atom, and rather spherical in shape. There was one platform out near the center, connected to solid ground by a long walkway. On that platform was what looked to be a complicated main control board. In front of this was a massive holographic screen. In his wheelchair facing all of this was Xavier himself.

Mokuba whistled. "I'm impressed," he said.

Xavier turned and smiled. "If I've impressed a Kaiba, it must be really good." The ravenet grinned back. "Wolverine, you may go," he dismissed.

"You sure, Charles?" Wolverine inquired, raising a furry eyebrow. Xavier nodded, so he growled a little and left.

Once Wolverine was gone, Xavier lifted a helmet off the control board and held it in front of him so that Mokuba could get a good look at it. He gestured everything around him. He said, "This is Cerebro."

* * *

Magneto studied the glowing screens in front of him. Right now, Seto Kaiba was just sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at nothing at all. Surly this was a form of depression. Keeping this boy in captivity for so long couldn't be healthy. Perhaps he should let the boy up for a trip to Starbucks or something…

"Hmm…" Magneto hummed. Sabretooth glanced curiously at him, but didn't say anything for now. But he didn't have to, for the elder mutant spoke. "I think I need to find a telepath," he said. "He won't stay under my solitary influence for long, he is much too smart for that. And his own pride and sense of nobility will prevent him eventually." Magneto turned to the other mutant. "I think I need to find a telepath."

Sabretooth frowned. "You mean… Mastermind?"

Magneto shook his head with a displeased snort. "No, with him we'd have to use coercion, and I think his powers are slightly different than what I need. No… we need a powerful telepath, one that can get past his already strong mental barriers. Mastermind is good, but we save him for later."

Sabretooth shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know any more telepaths."

Magneto was silent for a few seconds. "But I think I do." He quickly turned to his computer and typed swiftly into it. After a few clicks from his mouse, he turned the computer monitor to Sabretooth and pointed to a picture of a green-haired woman in her late twenties. "Eira de Gouges, also known as Lithium. I want you to find her and bring her back to me using any means necessary, as long as she is alive and fully functional. Got it?"

Sabretooth nodded and said, "Sure. Where is she?"

"She should be in Paris right now."

"I shall bring her back as soon as possible."

* * *

Visiting hours in the hospital in Japan were over, so the comatose Chiyoko was alone in her room. Which was fine for the spirits still surrounding her bed. The man from the 1940s touched one of her arms, and the missing girl touched the other.

"_Are you ready_?" he asked the little girl. The young girl nodded with a fierce look in her eyes, her golden curls bouncing. "_On the count of _trois_. One, two, three!_" And the two spirits pulled on her arms as hard as they could. While her actual arms did not move because of this, they did pull on something. Chiyoko's body gave a sudden spasm, and a transparent form of her was jerkily pulled away. The three of them tumbled back.

The ghostly Chiyoko stood up and brushed off her shoulders. "_Phew_," she said. "_Never thought I'd have to go through this again. But thanks, you two. When my body wakes up, I'll be sure to complete your requests_." The other two spirits nodded with grins on their faces. She faced all the other spirits in the room – deceased people of all different races, sizes, ages, and fates. "_Now,_" she said. "_What can you tell me to help Seto Kaiba?_"

An old man stepped forward, and when he spoke, it was with a heavy German accent. "_I recognized the man,_" he announced. "_I knew him a long time ago, but let me tell you, I recognized him. Max Eisenhardt. He was in a containment camp with me during World War Two. I lost contact with him after the camp was raided and every Jew still alive was set free. He always seemed strange, but it makes sense that he can move metal with his will._"

"_Thank you_," Chiyoko told him.

A teenage girl stepped forward. Her eyes were dark and shadowed. "_I was a mutant too when I was alive. He came to me saying he was Magneto. He wanted me to join him. I of course got scared, and ran off… and got killed by my ex-boyfriend_." The girl started shaking and retreated.

A middle-aged man now stepped forward. "_I know him too_," he said. "_Actually, I know his foe and how to contact him. When you wake up, you need to contact Professor Charles Xavier of the Xavier Institute in Bayville, New York._"

Chiyoko smiled at him. "_Thank you very much. The rest of you, if you could set out looking for Magneto's hide out… I've been listening to Jounouchi's and Yugi's conversations, and it's apparent that no one has contacted them, so Magneto probably still has Seto Kaiba_."

"_We will do as you say_," said the young blonde girl. "_Miss Necromancer_."

The man from the 1940s bowed, and said, "_Yes, we will take care of things, Mademoiselle Necromancer. You may return to your body. May you wake up for real soon_."

* * *

_It was very dark, where he was. Mokuba couldn't see anything. But then bright lights snapped on, and he was back at the Cerebro room with holographic images flying by him of blank, gray people. He braced himself, but the images did nothing to him. He looked closer at the platform and saw Professor X with the helmet on and his eyes closed._

"_Professor X!" Mokuba tried to call, but he couldn't yell. Xavier sighed sadly and removed the helmet, the holograms disappearing as soon as it was off his head._

"_We can't find him," said Xavier, looking directly at Mokuba now. "It's like he's disappeared off the face of the Earth." Then, Xavier's face turned sinister, his lips turning up in a smirk. He started to laugh as the room went dark again. And yet, Mokuba could still clearly see him._

_Professor X stood up, and his appearance transformed. His skin turned blue, and red hair sprouted from his scalp. Mokuba cringed, looking away, not wanting to get a clear look. _

_When he turned, lights snapped on again, but this time he was in a different room, one immensely smaller than the room housing Cerebro. Everything was metal, even the dresser in the corner. And on a bed pushed against the wall sat… his brother! But Seto wasn't looking at Mokuba; he was staring at his hands. _

_And then a man in red stepped between the two of them, and the floor opened, dropping Mokuba back into darkness. He fell for a while, but suddenly dropped into someone's arms. He looked up into Wolverine's face._

"_Hey, kid," he said. "Wake up. You're sleepwalking."

* * *

_**This chapter's a little shorter than usual. Sorry. I tried to lengthen it as much as possible.**

**About the part with Chiyoko.... she said that she could hear Jounouchi's and Yugi's conversations. This isn't something totally pulled out of my hat. There have been cases where people in comas can hear the people around them, but can't reply or move. And the spirit thing probably seems like it came from no where... it'll be explained eventually, don't worry.  
**


	15. Telepath

"Men create their own hell when they fight other men. Some fights are unnecessary and yet are fought with the same vigor as if they were necessary."

_~Peachwookie, a fellow fanfiction author

* * *

_

Eira sat in a café in Paris, admiring the garden around her as she waited for her cup of coffee. She was seated outside on a black wire chair next to a black wire table. The café was expensive, thanks to the location amongst all the blooming flowers, but it was worth it. And besides that, it wasn't like Eira couldn't afford expensive coffee occasionally.

The woman sighed, fingering a lock of her green hair. Paris was great, but she was tiring of it. There was too much hustle and bustle. So many thoughts, so many minds she accidentally read. Even though she was in her mid-thirties, sometimes her telepathy still got away from her. Psychic abilities, it seemed to her, were not easily tamed. Any power isn't. Perhaps she would move to the country side. South seemed like a good idea. Or maybe she'd be a traveling psychic… She could learn to read palms and tarot cards, reading the customer's mind to tell them a prediction they want to hear…

She stiffened, sensing a particular mind. It was one she hadn't sensed in a long while, one that she preferred to stay away from. She stood up, looking around for the owner.

"Sabretooth," she said, in normal tones as to not attract attention. She spoke with a light French accent.

She soon spotted him, coming up the path. He drew many people's attention, but he ignored them. He coolly walked up to Eira as she scanned his thoughts. "Lithium, Magneto wants you…"

She waved to cut him off. "Yes, I know, and don't call me Lithium. I left that hidden world, and I intend to stay away from it."

Sabretooth frowned. "Then what do I call you?"

Eira rolled her eyes. "Are you so daft? Just call me by my real name: Eira. That's not hard to do."

"Yes, well, Magneto…"

"I know!" Eira cut him off, forcing herself not to shout. "_Je sais._ Let's just go, okay?"

"You're not gonna resist?"

She sighed. "What's the point? You'll make me come anyway. Better to do it of my own free will."

* * *

"Mokuba!" rang out two voices. Mokuba looked up from his bed to see Nightcrawler and Rogue appear at his door. "We finished you costume!" they said in unison. "Come see it!"

Mokuba grinned. "Took you long enough," he said in mock-exasperation. He leaped off his bed and chased Rogue and Nightcrawler down the hall. They soon reached Rogue's and Kitty's room. On Rogue's twin-sized bed lay a costume that was mostly black.

"Try it on," Rogue insisted. "We need to see if it fits." Mokuba nodded eagerly and snatched up the costume, racing to the bathroom to change.

When he came out, he was wearing a sleeveless black jumpsuit with a yellow belt around his waist to break the continuum. On the belt's buckle the infinity symbol was engraved. There was a red bullet shape on the front of his jumpsuit, too, pointing down. On his shoulders were what looked like metal shoulder pads, and they were held on by two brown leather straps that made an X across his chest. His hands were covered with black gloves with the fingertips cut off. He also wore yellow boots that laced up to his knees. On his knees, too, were "metal" kneepads, like those on suits of armor.

"We weren't really allowed t' use metal," Rogue explained, "so we used hard plastic resin."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Nightcrawler said. He took a pair of aviator goggles out of his pocket and tossed them at Mokuba. Mokuba caught them and examined them. They were of brown leather, and had clear plastic resin in them (for glass was in danger of shattering).

He grinned and put the goggles on like a headband. "Awesome. Thanks a lot, you guys!"

Nightcrawler laughed. "Yeah, and whenever there's a dust storm, you can throw them on and protect your eyes."

"So do you have a codename yet?" Rogue asked the young boy.

Mokuba shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I've been thinking, but I can't come up with anything."

Nightcrawler clapped him on the back. "Don't worry, you'll think of one."

Mokuba looked into his blue furry face, realizing that it didn't really repulse him. It never did, and neither did the yellow eyes. He didn't really know why, but Nightcrawler wasn't frightening at all to him. Maybe it was the blue boy's light-hearted aura… "Yup, I will, Kurt," he said, beaming. The two older mutants, Mokuba could tell, were positively infatuated with him. Not that he didn't mind, but… Well, at least he didn't have to wear that silly black and gold costume they gave to new mutants. "Well, I'll go change back into my old clothes now…"

Just as he turned back to the bathroom, there was a telepathic message from Professor X. "_There's been a sighting of Sabretooth near a café in Paris. I want Jean, Mokuba, Rogue, and Kurt to investigate. Dress casually, as to not draw attention to yourselves. Be down at the X-wing in ten minutes_."

* * *

Kaiba sat in a new room, of similar size to his temporary room. However, the only furniture in this room was two identical metal chairs. The ceiling, too, was higher, allowing for a large window behind which stood Magneto and Sabretooth. Across from Kaiba sat a green-haired lady he didn't know. She was short, and her face was… hard, but not unwelcoming. Like she'd been through a lot and survived. She called herself Eira. He glanced up at the man in red behind the glass.

"So, I just have to do this one session, and then I'm allowed outside?" he asked.

"Yes," clarified Magneto. "This is so that your powers do not get away from you. This first session is really just a scan, so try not to shut Lithium out."

Eira gritted her teeth. "I told him not to call me that," she mumbled. She looked Kaiba in the eyes. He noticed her French accent when she spoke again. "_D'accord,_" she said. "Let's do this, shall we?" He nodded and closed his eyes. Eira placed her fingertips to his temples and closed her eyes also.

Kaiba felt a little jerk, like someone whapped the back of his head lightly, and gasped slightly despite himself. And then… he felt her there, inside his mind. It was unsettling. But he forced himself to not throw her out. He clenched his jaw. He'd get through it…

Safely behind the glass, Magneto smirked. _He has no idea_, he thought to himself. _He has no idea what I'm planning, and I intend to keep it that way.

* * *

_** A little shorter than I intended... Oh well. Well there ya go... I forgot what I was gonna say...  
**


	16. Soul Room

_"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."_

**_Benjamin Franklin_  


* * *

**Eira continued scanning his mind. At first, she saw what she expected to see. The mind – for her, at least – was a dark abyss that she set out to explore. She avoided pockets of memories and scanned for thoughts on any subject – hobbies, family, attitude, etc. But then, she herself felt a jerk, and suddenly she found herself in a room.

It was large – one of the biggest rooms she'd ever seen – and circular. In front of her was a gigantic desk, and though miscellaneous objects were scattered upon it, the papers were all neat and tidy. She glanced behind her to see a small, black metal door with chains crawling across it; it was the only entrance to the room, and apparently she had just gone through it. She walked over to the desk curiously, looking at one of the papers. Complicated mathematical equations marched across it in pen. On another sheet, small cramped handwriting peaked and valleyed and meandered all across it in neat rows. She could barely read it, and gave up after the first few words.

Before exploring the desk more, she nervously glanced up and examined the rest of the room. The walls were an icy blue, and there was little décor. At one part, a mirror rested on the wall. And at another part, there was a massive portrait of a young boy with black hair. The floor was cold, hard marble. Frowning and shivering, she examined the desk again.

Numerous clear crystal paperweights were dotted around the paper. In a pencil-holding mug she discovered a mini scythe amongst the fountain pens and perfectly sharpened pencils. There was a deck of cards from some sort of game, and three of the cards were flipped over, revealing a white dragon on each. Wandering around the entire table were chains, varying from thick to thin. Raising an eyebrow, Eira walked around the desk to the seat, which was a black leather rolling chair. There was a spot for the chair and legs, and a very modern computer in front of the chair. Every other bit of the side of the desk was taken up by drawers of differently sized width and height. Each drawer was under heavy lock and chain, and each drawer was labeled with the small cramped handwriting. It was stuff like "memories: orphanage," "memories: early life," "memories: time with G.K.," "memories: post G.K.," "ideas/blueprints," "respected people" (this drawer was notably smaller than the others), "family" (this one had a relatively bigger lock and chain), "regrets" (a large one), etc.

"This guy is locked up tight," Eira said softly, not wanting to disturb the deep, penetrating silence that permeated the room. Her voice seemed to be swallowed up amongt the blue walls. She wondered who "G.K." was.

She heard heels clack on the floor and turned quickly around to face the very man she was scanning. Seto Kaiba frowned at her, but gestured with his arms to embrace the entire room. "Welcome to my soul room, I guess. Never really have visitors," he added dryly. His icy gaze never left her eyes.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said to him. "A soul room, you called it? In all the people whose minds I've scanned, I've never come across one. Why is that?"

Kaiba shrugged. "I never understood it myself. I don't think about it, actually. I suppose it's something that represents my mind. Everything is a symbol. I think it probably has something to do with those dorks who try to become my _friends_…" He said the word with distaste. "Some of their weirdness must be rubbing off on me."

Eira took a deep breath. "Well, okay. Nice to, um, see your soul room. I guess I'll leave, then…"

"That is a good idea. I don't like being intruded upon. You've only entered here in the first place because I allowed it."

* * *

Eira pulled out of his mind almost remorsefully, hesitantly. That was the first time she's visited a "soul room." She wanted to explore some more, perhaps see if she, as a telepath, had the power to… "redecorate." But maybe that was selfish of her. Like an eager archaeologist on a dig where the very tip of something was just uncovered.

And in the soul room, she had seen Kaiba's true nature. A strong man with too many secrets. She sighed, glancing at the window behind which stood Magneto. It wasn't like this new mutant was the only one with secrets.

* * *

Mokuba raced down the steps of the mansion behind Rogue. Nightcrawler had teleported ahead, and Jean was likely already down there. Mokuba tried not to bounce with excitement. This was his first mission! Plus, it was reconnaissance. He was good at that. No one really expected a young, innocent-looking kid like him to spy or scout or anything. Besides, he wasn't as recognizable as his big brother was. In normal clothes, he seemed like a simple look-alike.

Finally the two of them reached the ginormous room which held the Institute's high-tech vehicles of all kinds. The X-Wing took up the most space, drawing the eye with its massive black wings. But there were also smaller aircraft, jeeps, motorcycles, the such.* Jean and Kurt stood underneath the wings of the giant jet, waiting patiently.

"This place is awesome!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Kurt grinned. He was wearing his hologram, so he looked human. "That's exactly what I thought when I first saw it."

"Let's just get it over with," Rogue mumbled, stepping into the jet and disappearing behind the black material – because it wasn't made out of metal, after all.

"Why is she suddenly so upset?" Mokuba asked after a silent pause.

Kurt shrugged while Jean said in an understanding tone, "She generally doesn't like reconnaissance missions. It means using her power."

Mokuba sobered in an instant. "Oh," was all he said. He hoped Rogue wouldn't have to use her power. Then again, Jean was with them, so it probably won't come to that.

Kurt clapped Mokuba on the back. "Cheer up, dude, it's your first mission!"

Mokuba forced a smile up at Kurt. "Yeah! Let's go!"

* * *

**Ugh, for some reason I keep almost-completing the chapters and then not updating for months. I apologize. ****It's short because I've left you without an update for forever.**

***I know that they probably don't actually have everything in that room of theirs, but I swear I saw other machines in the X-Wing room.  
**


End file.
